


The Burning Leaves

by ajd



Category: Naruto
Genre: Adventure, Gen, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-10
Updated: 2011-07-17
Packaged: 2017-10-19 06:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/197835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajd/pseuds/ajd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><i>
<br/><span class="u">
<br/><b>The Burning Leaves</b>
<br/></span>
<br/></i></p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Discovered in the leaves

**Author's Note:**

> _  
>    
> **The Burning Leaves**   
>    
> _

_  
  
**The Burning Leaves**   
  
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**Created, Revised, and Edited by:**   
  
_

_  
  
**AJD**   
  
_

_The following fan fiction assumes that during the fourth war, the joint shinobi overcame any and all obstacles they faced. Due to its nature, OCs will be used as a primary focus. However, all canon characters are matched with other canon characters and OCs are strictly the next generation. This is my first fan fic, so feel free to rip it apart!_

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**(**   
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**Chapter 1**   
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**-**   
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**Discovered In the Leaves**   
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**)**   
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She resorted to sprinting now, each step pierced the tranquil spring day. Her heart raced and eyes vigorously scanning for him. She became completely oblivious to the frequent barrage of leaves swatting her mid-run. Tired, her legs begged for a moments rest. A swift check to the rear ensured she'd made her escape.

As her gaze drifted forward, a sharp poke greeted the center of her forehead. Seemingly rehearsed, the taller figure powerfully exclaimed, "Too slow, Yuuki!" This sent her down, overwhelmed by the scare of it all. She immediately threw on a frown as their eyes met, hand rubbing the agitated area already.

"No fair Takeshi, you cheated!" A claim out of pure habit.

His serious demeanor broke into laughter, "Is it even possible to cheat in a game of tag? Look, you've gotten much faster, but you can't just overcome my speed so quickly." He extended his hand to help her up. "Or would you rather I go easy on you because you're a girl and your father's-"

"Takeshi!" cutting him off, her cheeks were now flushed in embarrassment. She made damn sure he was listening. "Would you rather I just give up because you're a genius?" She took his hand now. "Every step forward you take, I'll be right behind you!"

He chuckled in amusement as he pulled her up. "Guess that explains why you lose every game of tag." She shot him an angry look. "What? I'm just saying you're supposed to stay one step ahead of your rival, remember?" _Here it comes, the inevitable outburst of refutation that always follows my simple taunts_. Takeshi had acquired a skill for tuning it out by now. He decided it would be best to face away from her as she unloaded on him.

A gentle breeze swept the trees into a subtle sway as the sun peaked through the leaves. _It's such a perfect day._ The wilderness seemed to dance to the soothing song of the birds _. That leaves just one disturbance in the entire forest._ For the time being, the entire forest seemed to stare at them, seemingly appalled by the scolding. He let out an elongated sigh. _She's still going? Man, one minute she's exhausted, the next, it's like she's wired for the rest of the night. She's getting way too worked up over graduation. Despite her ignorant persona, she's got more book smarts than me. Not to mention, we've been training for weeks now. Can't she just enjoy the setting?_

He attempted to listen in on what she was saying. **"…And don't even get me started on how much of an arrogant ass you are sometimes..."** _not yet...actually, these weeks have been nice now that I think about it. The forest is always so calm. But…I have such a strange feeling today. Why does something feel wrong?_ He took a minute to shake his thoughts off. _I'm getting tired, that's all. There's no way I can keep going. But I can't show weakness, not after all that._ " **So keep laughing it up, you bastard!** " … _Her parents would kill her if they heard half of what comes out of that mouth. I hope she's worn herself out by now._

 _"_ Yuuki, we should call it a night. Your dad would be furious if he caught you out here again, suggesting he doesn't already know." He turned to her and gave a half-hearted smile.

"Did you even hear a word I said?" He began nervously laughing, rubbing the back of his head. She lifted her hand to her face, tensing up before giving out a relaxed sigh. "If you think you're off the hook, you're wrong." She looked him over. His hands were now tucked into his loose fitting shorts. He wore the same old black, short-sleeved hoodie with subtle traces of red here and there. What was odd was the lack of focus he showed. Was something bothering him? "What's the rush? We have a good 2 hours before the sun sets."

Takeshi unsheathed his hands and crossed his arms. "Come on, we have six days to work out the rest of our kinks. You're going to be worn out for the exam if you push yourself too hard."

She put her hands on her hips now. "Well, I guess I could use some food, but me? Wear down?" She let out a conceited laugh. "That's cleaver, Takeshi. What you meant to say is you can't keep up another round. You should know me better than that after all these years."

He broke eye contact a little and put on a tough guy face. "As if..." That was a sure fire way of confirming it.

He started walking; she fell in close behind him. The temperature was just right and walk felt so leisurely. "It's so peaceful today." Takeshi gave a nod of agreement, seemingly dazed by its beauty. "Do think it'll always be so calm here?"

He returned his hands to his pockets, ducking a branch. "I sincerely hope so. Regardless, I want to become stronger to protect our peace." He truly wished it to be the perfect day. _Why? Am I becoming paranoid? Is this hidden threat just my imagination at work?_

Yuuki observed him, and then let out a sigh. "You're always so dutiful. It makes you too tense. We're not even genin yet, so try to live for the moment, alright?"

He looked back to her for a moment. She had a unique choice in ninja attire, for lack of a better word. She donned a sleeveless kimono dress, the top showing a strong orange and black combo, the bottom continuing the vibrant orange. Very lively, but it's a little…noticeable. He gathered his thoughts back on track. _No, she definitely would have said if she thought something was wrong by now_. They continued their casual pace, but it wasn't long before Takeshi became irate. It was to the point where he could no longer ignore it. Takeshi stopped dead in his tracks. _There! Something is definitely here!_ He grabbed Yuuki's right arm and pulled out a kunai knife. "Don't stop, don't look back. Just run, Yuuki."

She was startled. "Hey, what's this all the sudden?" She noted the serious, rushed nature of his command as he frantically searched their surroundings _._ The wind came to an abrupt stop. A very eerie silence consumed them. There they remained; Only her pounding heart was heard. As his grip began to tighten on his kunai, a slight panic came over Yuuki. She now grabbed his arm. "Hey, this isn't funny Takeshi. Let's just-!"

A concise thrust ended her words. She only saw the blur of a kunai knife zip through where her head would have just stood. Takeshi's eyes shot to the weapons origins, but before he could even think, he realized it. His heart sank in despair, hearing the hiss of an explosive tag. He yelled for Yuuki, but she was still overcome with shock. "Yuuki, run!"

As if by some twisted cue, the blast sent them both flying back. Takeshi managed to catch some ground after smashing into a couple branches. His blinded eyes still attempted to transfix on Yuuki, despite the heavy smoke and chunks of earth pummeling his body. Yuuki was violently slammed into the base of a thick tree, an expression of pure agony worn. Takeshi tried to get up, but it was bad. His vision sluggishly returned to him as he looked himself over. His left arm was defiantly dislocated, heavily burnt, and his body had been torn by lacerations. The pain scalded his mind, but he pushed through and looked back to Yuuki.

A Figure already towered over her, blade unsheathed. The strong ringing in his ear began to fade away. Takeshi scrambled to a desperate run, but it was as if time had halted completely. The man finally spoke and the muffled words struck Takeshi's ears. "The precious leaves of Konoha shall burn! Hell's Phoenix has risen!"

Takeshi, numbed by fear, watched as the blade took a violent slash with no hesitation, cutting cleanly through Yuuki's throat. Blood showered the man as Takeshi's sanity shattered, and only one word erupted out. " **Yuuki!** "


	2. The Burning Leaves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Authors note for the curious-

-Authors note for the curious-

I upped the length of my chapter preference, which is kind of tricky for me as a fairly new writer. I had good cliffhanger points that would have left the chapter short like the first one, but I opted to shoot for a 4.5k chapter. I think I did a decent job with sticking to my drafts, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. In an unrelated note, I did have an alternate chapter two that was quite dark in nature. Personally, it just seemed to be out of my style, so I went with this instead. I hope to at least crank out two more chapters before I move to my next duty station, but I just can't make the promise. Enjoy or destroy everyone!

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**(Chapter 2:**   
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**The Burning Leaves)**   
_

Just as soon as all hope was crushed, Yuuki's body vanished in a cloud of white smoke. A blanket of confusion swept over them both, But Takeshi grabbed his last Kunai now. The assassin stood, taken back by the surprise. "What? Was I misinformed? This brat must have been genin at least." Before the man could regain his composer, his left lung was pierced by a kunai.

The assassin mustered through the pain to face his attacker. "What the hell?" He observed Takeshi, whose eyes now glowed blood red. "An Uchiha? They should have given me better information." The man pulled out the kunai, not even flinching in pain. "Still, to think two genin did this to me. You can have this back now, you piece of trash!" The kunai was bolted straight at Takeshi's face. Takeshi could see it plainly, but his body just wouldn't move. _Shit, is this how I'm going to die?_ As it closed into a couple feet away, it just vanished. The assassins eyes widened, befuddled. "What the?"

"You can have this back, you piece of trash." The assassin's body froze completely. "And now's when you shut the hell up and not even consider moving a muscle." A kunai already stained with the assassin's blood threatened to draw more from his neck on a whim. "Yuuki, grab Takeshi and find somewhere safe. I'll handle this."

Yuuki came out of the forest line and helped Takeshi up. She looked her savior over. His black flamed cloak drifted in the wind as he nodded his head, signaling her to leave. "I found a cave; it seems like a good place to wait this out. My dad can finish this up in a couple minutes." Takeshi couldn't stop staring at her, still semi-dazed. She laughed as she started hulling him away using his good arm. "Come on, I know I'm gorgeous, but now's not a good time."

Takeshi smiled as he looked away. "As if…consider it a sympathetic courtesy."

Yuuki laughed a little heartier now. "Still the same ass, I see."

Yuuki's dad made sure they got away safely. He noted the engravings on the kunai he held. His hostage began laughing. "Of all the people who could have shown up, it was the sixth hokage himself, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Are you deaf?" Naruto pressed the kunai deeper into the assassin's throat, drawing blood now.

"You won't kill me, will you?" The hokage said nothing. "Even if you were the type, you're wondering why I've done what I did." The assassin smirked. "I'm just a great pawn in a greater scheme. He told me you'd come, regardless if I got my mark or not. I will have the glory of taking the king with me! I can already see it; the great assassin takes out the Hokage!" He ripped of his jacket, revealing an undershirt made of explosive tags. He lit the fuse in a crazed laugh.

Naruto finally spoke. "You do realize I'm using a shadow clone right now, don't you?" The great assassin's eyes shrank.

"God damn you, Uzamaki Naruto!" He grabbed his last explosive kunai and launched it into the air. Naruto's clone threw the kunai knife far away. "Hell's Phoenix will burn this forest! Long live-!"

A massive blast ended the great assassin's legacy in irony. However, as his explosive kunai burst high in the air, flames arose in several areas of the forest. Naruto bore witness to the mayhem high in a tree. Naruto grabbed the blood stained kunai out of the tree and pocketed it. The Hokage threw up his famous hand sign. "Tsk. Where the hell is he? It's not like him to miss this kind of action."

Meanwhile, in the secluded cave, Takeshi and Yuuki were trying to outlast the conflict. "Gah, Shit!" The sound alone of his shoulder being reset made Yuuki a little queasy. The cave howled a low tone with the wind. _He's beat all to hell. All I can really do is try to distract him from the pain._

"It looks so painful…" She immediately face-palmed as he gave her a 'no shit' look. _Really, what can I say? I'm surprised he's still conscious._ "Sorry, I'm supposed to making you feel better."

He chuckled under the pain. "This much I can handle, considering I could be dead." Takeshi looked to her now. "The pain was ten times worse, seeing you get killed. In the end, I wasn't strong enough to even keep us alive." A faint smile showed on his face. "Your father: he saved us both in an instant without even breaking a sweat. I wish I had even a fraction of his power."

"Come on, don't beat yourself up. Considering your condition, it'll be the death of you." Takeshi smiled, but he still seemed down. "For one, don't compare yourself to my dad, he's ridiculously strong. And two, don't give him that much credit. It'll go to his head." The mood was lightening a little now. "Besides, that was my shadow clone, not his."

Her statement made his eyes widen. "Since when did you know a jutsu. Wait, since when did you have the time to use it." He scrunched his face trying to recall any signs. "What the hell?"

She laughed, "Remember when you were completely ignoring me while I was screaming at you?" he seemed to jolt a bit. "You guessed it."

"That's a relief. I just thought you were being extra bit-"

"Before I literally kill you, yes, I had my clone follow you while I waited to ambush you. Right when I was about to strike…it all happened."

"You are definitely the most unpredictable person I know, but thanks. Given their nature, that was one hell of a clone you made." She seemed confused. All along, the 'menacing threat' Takeshi felt was her. _Still, to think she executed the jutsu so well. Pretty impressive, Yuuki._

"Oh, and it gets better! I unlocked my byakugan!" Takeshi laughed, having already noticed when she helped him up. That was part of the reason he was so shocked. She frowned at him though. "Hey, come on! This is a big deal to me!" She scoffed. "But of course, the minute I take the lead, you went and unlocked your stupid sharingan." He looked at her with a dumb face, as an awkward silence ensued. "Did you really not know by now? Are all Uchiha your level of genius?" After he gave her a strong glare, the genius rehashed the fight. _Hmm…fast things being easy to see…time feeling slower…how didn't I notice?_

He laughed, putting on a nonchalant face. "It's kind of funny…" Yuuki was all ears. "You actually believed you were a step ahead of me. How arrogant of you." He invoked blind fury. She instantly raised her fist, which shook in rage. "Hey, remember, I'm injured here!" She nearly punched through his left arm, quickly reminding him of the pain. "Shit! That was excessive!"

Yuuki combed her hair out of her face, "Your ego is excessive, ass!" He seemed normal, but she could tell he was bothered. Both of them were troubled. What they witnessed first-hand was very disturbing. As she ignored him cursing under his breath, she noticed a flickering light. She looked out of the cave and her jaw dropped. "What? The forest is on fire! What the hell is dad doing?"

"Why…did I ever believe…that man?" The man was defeated not even a minute after the signal was given to burn Konoha. "The leaf…is invincible." He forced his head up to see the eyes of a sage transfixed on him. "You already got all fifteen of us, didn't you?"

Naruto said nothing and instead formed two shadow clones. "Was this what you really hoped to accomplish? Was this your plan?" A swirling chakra began to glow in his hand.

The man coughed up blood before responding. "Wasn't my idea, killing me solves nothing." He smirked. "That man's ambition…its simply magnetic. I don't remember seeing anyone as stubborn as he is about his beliefs."

The jutsu reached its climax and he appeared to hold a massive glowing shuriken. Naruto faced away from the man. "Luckily for you, killing isn't in my nature. At least until I see a reason to kill you directly." Naruto stood firmly and looked up.

The man was shocked. "Uzumaki, I know that jutsu. Wind is going to guarantee the entire forest is ablaze. I implore you to stop!" The sixth hokage ignored his words and launched his rasengan into the center of the fires. There it exploaded into a massive torrent of water and wind overcast the area. _What? Water?_ Naruto faced the man again.

"Your plans have failed at every turn. Did your leader really expect me to make no progress for all these years?"

The injured man laughed, which inadvertently made him cringe in pain. "You are truly an admirable Hokage, Uzumaki. But I wonder…how good of a father are you? That man's not quite done yet." In a flash the man was suspended in the air only a couple inches from Naruto.

"Bastard! You don't know shit about me! You just gave me a direct reason to kill your sorry ass!"

"Please, I know I've lost!" Naruto began reaching for a kunai. "Believe me, my leader has some very dishonorable qualities. I was giving you a hint! As we speak, boss is likely killing the two youths personally!"

Naruto's proud eyes narrowed. "No…" In a single blink, the man was left momentarily airborne before falling to the floor. The bleeding man smirked. _I remember now; A man whose vision was pure and second to none. I really am a fool…to think I could get away with threatening the legendary Sixth Hokage._ The nameless assassin drifted out of consciousness.

Yuuki and Takeshi remained in the cave. "Where the hell did this storm come from?" Takeshi was still in awe at the situation himself. As the massive downpour came to a halt, an orange sun began piercing through the cave opening. She was frustrated by the weather. "Why does this nightmare keep getting stranger and worse every minute?"

Takeshi inhaled sharply and exhaled soothingly. "It would appear as though everything is still going our way somehow. Try to just relax, Yuuki. At this point I'm sure the whole village is aware of what's happened. Back up teams won't be too far away now."

She smiled now. "Hey, you're right! Yeah, this terrible situation will hopefully come to an end soon." Now the sun that peaked through became blocked by the shadow of a man.

"From your skeptical faces, I assume this isn't the end you two were counting on." He formed a couple hand signs and the cave exit was completely sealed. "Weak ass lackeys, but it appears everything ended up according to plan."

"Shit!" Yuuki jumped up just before Takeshi did. An added adrenaline burst came when her byakugan activated on command. "He's an earth user, we're just going to have to do this!"

"I know!" Takeshi stood in front of Yuuki with his sharingan already tossed him a kunai and they held a defensive stance.

"How unfair, you both can see just fine. What an annoying miscalculation." The man busted out with a heinous laugh. "NOT! I can hear you, dumbasses!" He began to unload a flurry of kunai and ninja stars at the source of the sounds. Takeshi could only catch glimpses of the man's movement but his right arm just naturally shifted to counter all of the weapons that threatened them. The man really couldn't see too well. In a growing frustration, the man ceased fire to open a faint light source in the cave. "Don't get arrogant, brats. I'm losing patience with your petty survival games." He slipped out a scroll and summoned a massive amount of ninja tools. "Let's get started, shall we?"

With the added light, Takeshi could almost laugh at the mass amounts of weapons being hurled at him. Yuuki slowly stepped into the darker area behind them and waited for a chance to strike. The man became more maniac, throwing larger weapons at Takeshi. He could hardly dodge the massive things, none the less deflect them. When the leader reached for the fifth massive weapon, Yuuki scooped up some of his tools and threw them at him. The man was forced to defend the quick onslaught. "Nice work Yuuki!" Takeshi began helping.

"You've angered me, brats!" He formed a wall to shield himself from the attacks. After the weapons stopped pelting it, he jump out from behind the wall and began forming hand signs. Takeshi noticed the jutsu immediately. "Shit, a fire jutsu also?" Takeshi wildly threw out six hand signs himself and both performed the jutsu simultaneously. "Katon: Gokyou no jutsu!"

The cave became engulfed in a bright flame. Their jutsu's met midway and stalemated. Yuuki watched as either side attempted to outlast each other. She saw Takeshi slightly twitch his eyes at her. _Right, there's no way he'll be able to keep up with that monster. It's now or never!_ She thrust a kunai as hard as she could at the man, but before it could reach, Takeshi's jutsu combusted the man. Yuuki looked back to Takeshi. "Whoa, way to go!"

Takeshi was exhausted. He released his sharingan, too tired to even use it. "Yeah, but did that actually finish him?" The hole in the roof closed again and Yuuki vigorously scanned for him. "Where's he at, Yuuki?" Takeshi's voice was both hasty and nervous. "I don't know, he's not in the cave!"

After a moment of quietness, the thug's voiced echoed again. "It would appear you have no chakra left, boy."

"What the?" Yuuki questioned as she found the source of the voice was a hole.

It was cute of you two to play ninja, but I must kill you now. Know that this was your fathers' fault and not your own. Fuuton: Shinkhua no jutsu!"

Yuuki panicked. "Takeshi, hold your breath as long as you can." They both inhaled as they attempted to think up a plan. The rate the air was leaving the cave was fast, but wasn't strong enough to carry a weapon by itself. What little air remained was quickly beginning to vanish. Takeshi knew he couldn't form another jutsu. It was all up to Yukii as Takeshi was collapsing already.

She pulled out her kunai. _I'm not going to last much longer!_ She noticed the shredded piece of Takeshi's sleeve and pulled it off. Her ears burst from the huge pressure drop. _I…have to…this…has...to…_ As she finished fastening the cloth to the kunai, she collapsed. Fortunately, she dropped it right into the hole and it quickly sucked it through.

The assassin leader began to consider stopping. It was getting tough to vacuum any more air out of the cave. Before he could form a though, an odd kunai came flying out butt first. _The hell?_ It lodged itself in his throat before he even realized what was happening. He cancelled the jutsu before it did more damage. Pissed off didn't even scratch the surface of his mood. _Who would come up with this shit? And what's worse, it freaking worked!_ He Punched himself in the gut, causing him to vomit out the kunai. Just as he composed himself, his plans were completely thwarted.

"Rasengan!" The gave imploded slightly as Naruto arrived on scene. He wiped his mouth off smirking.

"So you finally figured it out, Hokage?" He was blown off as Naruto checked the childrens' vitals. "It would appear I didn't plan carefully enough for this mission to succeed. Of course, next time you won't be so lucky. That's right! Not even you will stop me!"

"You guys talk too much." Naruto again stared the man down.

"Oh? You gonna do something about it, Great Hokage? The man smirked

Naruto crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Nope." He said as blandly as possible.

"You are a true dumbass. Don't think you can charm your way into my heart. I will kill-"

A blade of lighting pierced through the man and electricity overwhelmed his body. Naruto picked up the kids and focused back on the man. "I'm not about to let you live, but you also miscalculated everyone you'd piss off. Some of us prefer actions over words, right Sasuke."

He scoffed. "Cut the cool guy act, Naruto. We're done for now, but there's a lot of shit to sort through."

The seemingly dying man struggled to laugh. "Yes…ponder. Remember my name well. Guden: the tamer of Hell's Phoenix!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. Shut the hell up already." He lifted to cut the man in half, but he exploaded into magma making them back up. Sasuke's eyes widened a little. "A magma clone? That's a nasty jutsu there." Naruto began snickering. "Any ways, this complicates things. This guy will be back." Naruto was now laughing. "Alright, what's so damn funny?"

"You're not hurt are you, scaredy cat?" Naruto nearly dropped the kids laughing so hard.

"I hate you sometimes…"

The Hokage regained his composure. "well, we need some humor. We have fifteen people to interrogate.

Sasuke facepalmed. "You could have just killed the weakest five so we'd at least have an easier time carrying them back."

Naruto countered his argument, "That's because you take shortcuts in life, except to the battlefield tonight, apparently."

"Well excuse me for not stalking my teenage boy every ten minutes."

Naruto got a lot more defensive now. "And look where that got Takeshi!"

"You're right, I guess the Hokage could have done a better job watching them!" Sasuke's annoyance was clearly showing.

Naruto backed off and looked away, both pissed off and upset. He made fifteen clones and recovered the bodies. "I did everything I could. At least they're still alive." He looked back to Sasuke. "After all of these years, who could have predicted this?"

Sasuke relaxed some more. "We still would have been too late, though. If it wasn't for that ridiculous kunai, they'd be dead. I'm sure you know what I would have done then."

Naruto grew somber. "Yeah, I know." The serious mood grew into an awkward silence. "Hey at least we know my daughter is stronger than yours!" Naruto smirked as Sasuke began bickering about how wrong Naruto was. They traded verbal blows back and forth the whole return to the village.

As they got back into the gates, Naruto gave the children to Sasuke. "I have to get these guys to Ibiki, he still knows better than everyone else when it comes to interrogation. Please get them to the hospital ASAP. I had a clone get Sakura ready to meet you there."

Sasuke's eyes expanded even greater than before. "Oh, come on! Don't just dump this on me!" Naruto laughed as he returned to the office. Sasuke looked at the children. "How the hell am I going to give her a satisfying explanation? That bastard!"

Sasuke neared the hospital and couldn't help seeing a certain pink haired ninja. Her arms were crossed and face was clearly not amused. Sasuke tried to brighten her mood as he approached. "Hey Sakura! It's really not as bad as it sounds!" She stepped right through his smile with a kick, catching the children. He flew back a good thirty feet. "I said it's not as bad as it sounds!"

She became irked. "Oh really? Look at our son, ass-tard! What about it doesn't look bad?" Sasuke sighed in shame. She gripped Takeshi a little closer as a few tears came out. "God only knows what he witnessed tonight. How can you be fine with that?" Sasuke said nothing and stoically walked away. "Where do you think you're going?"

He stopped and turned his head to her with a face that could paralyze the Kyuubi itself. "To kill the man who did this." Sakura's face was swept by shock and excitement. He continued to walk towards the Hokage's office. Sakura could only watch as he walked away.

She looked to the kids then ran inside. "That room had better be ready!" Every personnel hugged the wall for safety as she dashed the kids through. She wasted no time tending to Yuuki, but there really weren't any major physical injuries. She now moved on to her son, crying again at the thoughts of what he went through. She noted the burnt left arm that was obviously dislocated. His whole body had lacerations covering it. She noted that he also expended the majority of his chakra. "What the hell was Naruto doing? How did things go this far?" She quietly began healing her son alone.

Naruto slammed his hands on the desk. "Do these guys know anything? Why the hell are they even working for this Guden creep!"

"Calm down, Naruto! We're only eight people in. Just give me time to run through what this Guden guy said." Shikamaru ran through the information in his head. _Hell's phoenix. Obviously he has a past resentment towards Naruto. He targeted Yuuki, so he's looking to anger Naruto and likely to get Naruto out of the village. Overall, the man's plan was a failure solely due to Yuuki and Takeshi. It would seem this plan was made within three days._

"So what are you thinking, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "This Guden guy is out to get you, and he'll be back."

Naruto just narrowed his eyes. "No shit." Shikamaru sighed, feeling a loss of pride.

"Any ways, he won't be back for a long time. This wasn't his original plan. Obviously he wants you to blindly search for him so he can take you out. I wager only one man in the group you brought was well informed. However, he's not a man who takes chances, so what information we can get is limited."

Naruto widened his eyes. "No shit?" Shikamaru felt satisfied with his response. "I guess we'll just let Ibiki handle the weeding out part."

"That's easy for you to say." Naruto got a jolt of refreshment. "You've got those shadow clones to get the rest you need. It's not easy for anyone to pull these late night shifts. Right, Temari?" He nudged her to wake her up.

"Give me a break, you don't have to do half the work I do! You're just as lazy as when I first met you!" She passed back out as he held an annoyed face.

"All these years and she's still troublesome." He sighed. The door slammed open at that point as Sasuke entered. All eyes were on him.

"Where is this bastard, Naruto?" He was clearly not amused. When all Naruto had as a response was a saddened turn away, Sasuke went straight to the interrogation room.

"Wait, Sasuke. Ibiki can handle that!" Those words fell on deaf ears as he closed the door behind him.

Ibiki turned to him. "What is it, Uchia Sasuke?" The man being interrogated already quivered in fear. Sasuke ignored Ibiki and unsheathed his sword.

"Where is your leader, Guden?" The man sweat frantically.

"I…I don't know! We just saw the pay and signed without question!"

Sasuke instantly cut the man's arm cleanly off. He screamed in the blistering pain. "That's bullshit! You knew who your mark was. You asked questions to the man and I demand his answers. If you won't tell me, there's fifteen more where you came from. I will kill you!" Just as Ibiki steepped in to intervene, the man began talking.

"It's Hell's Phoenix. Our forces were meant to attack the village in two years, but then the kids came into play! We are on the better half of the skill side, that's why he sent us! He's going to need time now to execute his plan! There, fix my arm!"

Sasuke put his sword to the man's throat. "If you won't tell me where, then I'll have the Yamanakas just dive into your head and figure it out anyways." The man stared in shock, then thrust his head through Sasuke's blade. Sasuke himself was taken back along with everyone else. Ibiki stood and wiped the blood of himself.

"Amateur." He calmly said as he went to get the next assassin. The group were speechless at what they had just witnessed. Sasuke whipped the blood of his sword and slowly walked out.

"This is going to be harder than I figured it'd be."


	3. Painkillers

-Authors note-

I had a lot of fun with this one. I took this time to spoon-feed in more characters, while assuring focus remained on the main characters. This is one of the few chapters that little action took place in, but still moving the story forward. I will continue my opinion after the chapter.

 **(Chapter 3-Painkillers)**

Yuuki cringed and tossed about as her dreams imprinted an atmosphere of suspense. An exaggeratingly massive man clocked in a dark shade approached her. When she mustered the courage to attack, a concussive shockwave blasted her down. She closed her eyes in fear as the man unsheathed his sword. The sound that followed was a solid clank. Yuuki opened her eyes to find Takeshi parrying the blade. They traded blow after blow as her fear melted into hope. Finally, Takeshi caught the man with a kick to the face and started a jutsu. The dark man charged to stop him, blade ready to strike. From here it was all about speed. She nervously watched as her heart pounded.

OoOo

“Ramen!” The door was slammed open with amazing authority. Yuuki screamed, throwing herself out of the bed and face planting on the floor. “Oh good, it’s the right room this time!”

“Dad, what the hell is wrong with you?” She pushed herself to a sitting position and finally realized where she was as the adrenaline left. “Am I in the hospital?” Her stomach gnawed at her; a friendly reminder of her malnutrition.

“Yuuki, what would your mother think about that kind of language? I’ll let that slide because you had such a rough night.” Naruto stood tall now and grew very serious. “You know better than to train in the forest! I’m not as mad as I am disappointed in you.” Visible guilt swelled up inside her. “But this can wait.” He handed her a fresh bowl of ramen and grinned. “Right now, I’m proud as a parent and happy you’re alive!”

She gave him a matching grin as she accepted the bowl and prepared to eat. “Takeshi and I could have taken them all down if we weren’t so hungry!” Right as the first bite was inches away, she immediately put it back down. “Where’s Takeshi? Why isn’t he here?” She was in the early stages of a panic attack.

Before her father could answer, a familiar voice entered the room. “Did you really expect those scratches to bring me down? I’m almost offended!” A great smile came over as subtle tears forced themselves out of her.

“Oh yeah!” Naruto slurped down the rest of his bowl before continuing. “There’s something I need to give you two.” He shifted his eyes to Takeshi with a slightly more serious face. “Uchiha Takeshi, you remained vigilant even on the most peaceful of occasions. You looked fear in the eyes, completely outclassed, and protected those important to you. Despite the heavy beating you endured, you proved that leaf ninja can never be outclassed in heart.” Naruto pulled out a battered, blood dried kunai. “From what I can tell, this kunai has significant value to it. It’s also the very one that struck the assassin, survived a massive explosion, and found its way to my feet. Keep it as a symbol of your courage.” Takeshi’s eyes widened as he received the kunai. He could still make out the engravings of his initials; the mark of his first kunai. He smiled as he showed his respect to the Hokage.

Naruto smiled and turned to Yuuki. “Uzumaki Yuuki, who did you inherit that intelligence from?” she chuckled a little. “You have always been full of energy and high spirits. However, even when you are frustrated, your decision skills and motivation remain unmatched. In hopes that luck and unique creativity continue to follow you, I present the weapon that saved your lives!” He pulled out the improvised ‘parachute kunai’ Yuuki made while losing consciousness. She’d almost forgotten about it, but Takeshi’s sleeve was still fastened.

“So that’s where the better part of my sleeve went!” Takeshi added. Yuuki expressed mirth towards the comment.

Naruto handed off the creation. “This is a symbol of wisdom and strategy.” She accepted it, kind of feeling embarrassed by her father’s praise. Naruto smirked, “Oh, and don’t worry about the vomit. We cleaned it off for you.”

Yuuki dropped it instantly in disgust. “That’s just wrong!” The boys shared a brief laugh.

“Now that leaves just one more thing.” He cleared his throat and stood a little more formal. “After a brief discussion with Iruka and several jonin, we made quite the conclusion. I suppose this really has never happened, but I don’t believe anyone would object to it.” Yuuki and Takeshi leaned in a little closer in curiosity. “Uchiha Takeshi and Uzumaki Yuuki, under the authority of the Sixth Hokage, it is my honor to welcome you into the ranks of our ninjas.” He pulled out two forehead protectors. “You are both top of the class genin graduates. We all as parents were proud of you, so here is our way to symbolize your own pride.”

They quickly grabbed the headbands and made several comments on them. Naruto could only smile as he watched his youngest child in so much joy. _These two are going to be the heart of Konoha in the future._ “I’ll be at the front desk when you two have calmed down.” He snatched the unattended bowl of ramen and snickered on his way out. _You have to eat quicker than that, Yuuki._ He showed mercy on the door this time as he gently closed it.

As they quieted down, Yuuki stared at the headband now with mixed feelings. It was a bittersweet way of becoming a ninja. Takeshi observed her for a moment before letting out a sigh. “That was a hell of a graduation exam, huh?” She gave a halfhearted smile as she firmly lifted her kunai. _This may be difficult to discuss for her._ Suddenly, she chucked it through the wooden door in anger. _Oh man, this is way worse than I thought._

“If you’re going to leave, leave damn it!” Takeshi panicked. _She’s snapped! How am I going to fix this?_ “And you owe me two bowls of ramen now!”

A voice came from the other side of the door. “You’ve got some serious problems, you know that!? Now I have to pay for that door to! Do you think I can shit money?” Takeshi felt sweat drop on the back of his neck.

“Find a better hobby than stalking your daughter! And don’t play the money card; you’re the Hokage, dumbass!”

Naruto stomped away. “Bah, damn teenagers!” Tears were rolling exaggeratingly out his eyes.

She deeply inhaled and relaxed again. “Are you sure you’re alright Takeshi?”

He was caught off guard and slightly pulled away. “Well I was beaten to a pulp, but I’m just a little sore now. I feel fine compared to last night.”

“That’s good, but you know that’s not what I meant .We were attacked! We’re thirteen years old and we almost died! I know it comes with being a ninja, but I can’t believe so many strong people tried to kill two kids.” Her fists were tightened and her face expressed an angry confusion.

Takeshi looked to the floor. “It’s not the same for me. I don’t care if they tried to kill me twice or twenty times.”

She swung an arm, as if trying to swat his lies away. “How can you say that? We weren’t even genin and we were on a hit list!” She just knew he was lying, he was always like this. She stood in an angry stance as she waited for him to continue. He pocketed his hands and looked away.

“You never let me finish.” She crossed her arms and waited for a response. “It really doesn’t bother me that I almost died.” He looked back to her but could only look back away in shame. “What bothers me is I was powerless to save you.” She instantly showed shock as he glanced out the window. “They say I was the top of our class, but not only did you save yourself, I was the one who ended up needing saving.”

Yuuki saddened at the way he saw it. “It’s not like anyone would blame you for anything. That clone wasn’t me, and even if it was, you did everything you could to save it. That kunai would have gone straight through its head if you hadn’t pushed it.” He remained staring out the window. “And in the cave, if you hadn’t countered his jutsu, I would be dead. Do I also need to remind you who warded of the vicious onslaught of ninja tools and whose sleeve saved us in the end?” He appeared to be feeling better about his efforts through a rubbing of his head. She genuinely smiled. “If it weren’t for you, I would have died long ago.”

He started blushing faintly. “Well, I guess I am pretty badass.”

She facepalmed as he laughed. “Way to ruin it.”

He faced her now. “I do agree though. It’s disturbing to think people would target us. But we fought.” His words seem to be attempting to convince himself now. “Both of us together managed to beat the odds and live. We should remember that as wear these headbands.” He put his hands on her forehead protector. “There’s no rush, but let’s shoot for chunin together.” They locked eyes for a moment.

“Good lord, what did you do to this door, Uzumaki?” They quickly looked away as Takeshi withdrew his hands. “And what did you get Takeshi involved in, _dry eyes_?”

Yuuki gritted her teeth. “Noriko, why are you here. Freaking creeper.”

Takeshi put his hand over his face. _Of all the girls to walk in the door, why her. Now it’s going to get loud in here._

Noriko made no expression at all. “You can relax. I’m not here to show you up.” Anger began radiating from Yuuki. “I’m just here to make sure you two made a full recovery.”

“Why the hell do you care?”

Noriko looked at Yuuki with a fake smile. “For you, strictly for job security. It’s not like I was concerned about you.” The flames building inside her would surely erupt any minute. “I’m here on my mother’s orders. I did do the minor patch work on you two, after all. Putting differences aside, I honestly have sympathy for what happened.” The flames died down. “I congratulate you two on how well you did. Judging by the headbands and Takeshi’s injuries, I wager it was life-threatening.”

Yuuki grinned. “It was nothing me AND Takeshi couldn’t handle. They opted to graduate us top of the class.” Yuuki stuck her nose in the air. “I guess that means I beat you.”

Noriko’s eye narrowed. “Yes, you finally managed to beat me in something that doesn’t involve paper and pencil.” Takeshi felt the flames rising again. “Let’s see.” She put her finger to her lips and looked up. “That puts our record at about ninety-nine to one.” He backed away as he felt a quaking rage build. “Oh! AND I still have cute, normal eyes.”

Yuuki flashed her byakugan and charged her. “Bitch, I’ll kill you!” Noriko noted this and raised her hand to signal a stop. Yuuki barely restrained herself. “What?”

“This is a hospital, what is the logic in injuring each other in a place of healing?”

Yuuki lifted an eyebrow. “Oh, is that fear I sense, _creeper_?”

Noriko glinted a subtle smile. “Yes actually. The thought of humiliating you in my place of work would reflect very poorly on my character.” Yuuki let out an infuriated grunt, still seeing her point about the hospital anyways. _One of these days, Noriko! One of these days…_ “Anyways, it would appear you are both in good condition. Please go check out at the front desk.” She was already sifting through the medical papers.

Takeshi pushed Yuuki out the door. “Yes, thank you very much for your help. Have a good day!” As they got in the hall, Takeshi stopped her briefly. “Yuuki, calm down! Getting flared up over stupid things is exactly what fuels her. Besides, what are the chances of seeing her very often anymore?” She relaxed her fist and eventually nodded. They made their way to the front desk and were dismissed. “I should get home soon. I’m sure my mother is worried and upset.”

Yuuki waved him off. “I have to wait for dad. He’s probably snooping as usual. Make sure you keep your head on a swivel. See you around, Takeshi!” He withdrew a hand from his pocket and raised it as he walked away. She watched him until he was gone and smiled. After a brief look around the room, she noticed her father seriously reading a couple scrolls. _Looks like those are pretty important. He’ll be gone all day today._ “Hey dad, let’s go! I’m starving.”

Naruto immediately tucked away the scrolls and smiled. “That’s fine by me. I’m getting hungry myself.” If she didn’t know him any better, her jaw would have dropped. “We have to be quick though, your mother is really worried about you.” She nodded and they headed off to Ichiraku’s ramen bar.

OoOoOoOo

Takeshi finally arrived at his home. He opened the door and carefully entered. It was pretty quiet inside, as the only noise was the steam of a cooking meal. It smelled good and he decided to go check on how long it would take.

As he casually stepped into the kitchen, his face was smashed by a frying pan. The pink haired culprit screeched and began vice grip hugging the petrified boy. “Takeshi! My poor baby, you know you can’t sneak around like that! Are you hurt? Are you feeling better? Why won’t you say anything.”

His face was already blue as he made out the words, “Can’t…breathe!” She instantly released him and facepalmed at her lack of strength control. As Takeshi recovered his breath, he stood back up. “I’m guessing father isn’t home then?” She confirmed his theory and stood up herself. “I see…I was really hoping to ask him a few questions.”

“It’s about the sharingan, isn’t it?” She went back to stirring the food. “Lucky for you, there is _someone_ here who can help you out.”

Takeshi’s mood brightened. “No way, Hitomi is actually here today?”

“Yes, your lovely sister broke her arm on a mission yesterday. She insisted on taking a week off.” Takeshi figured it must have been serious to actually slow her down. “And no, it’s not that serious. She’s malingering if you ask me. Go tell her to get over that attitude of hers while you’re at it. Remember to keep your head on a swivel next time!”

Takeshi quickly took off to her room. It wasn’t often he got to see his sister like he used to. She was a jonin and recently even became ANBU. He couldn’t wait to catch up. He activated his sharingan before he went in. _She’ll never see this coming._  As the door opened he was forced to barely dodge two books that literally went through the wall behind him. He snapped, “What the hell is wrong with the women in this house?”

Hitomi looked up and saw Takeshi. “Oh shit, my bad. Come in.” She got up to close the door.

“What the hell was that? It sounds like your arm is just fine to me. If you broke the wall again, I swear-“

She shut the door and looked down at Takeshi and noticed his eyes. “I take it you had a rough night?” He nodded. “Aww, but look at the two totem left eye and one totem right. It’s so cute.” Her fingers widened his eyes for him.

He shoved them off and laughed. “Very funny, but I actually have some questions as you’d imagine.”

She sat down on her bed and signaled for him to follow suit. “I’m not going anywhere soon, so I’m all ears. We haven’t talked in a while, so let’s catch up.” They shared a smile as he thanked her and sat down.

OoOoOoOo

Ayame and Teuchi were exhausted. “There’s no way we can keep this up, Naruto!” They had already torn through the day’s supply of ingredients.  “God bless you for your family’s appetite, but I can barely account for just how much you guys eat.”

Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing. “That’s okay, my salary can barely account for it either!” Yuuki finished her twelfth bowl before sighing in satisfaction. “It looks like my love for ramen was passed down. Later old man, Ayame-chan” They waved them off as Naruto and Yuuki left. Naruto looked to Yuuki. “I guess this is a good time for the discipline part.” She frowned. “Don’t try to give me that, you broke a rule I’ve been emphasizing for a while. As of right now, you’re grounded until the rest of your class graduates.” She grunted and rolled her eyes. “It’s a lenient punishment if you ask me. Besides, you can keep your mother company. On top of that, Isami will be there until mid-day.”

Yuuki showed surprise in his words. “What’s the occasion? Brother actually has time off?”

“Well, I can’t tell you who or what, but one of his members broke an arm on a mission. He felt bad about it, so he’s making sure the member is in good shape.”

Yuuki seemed puzzled. “So, this would be a female member then. He doesn’t usually request time off for things like this.”

Naruto sighed. “Perceptive as always I see. I think he’s just trying to be his mischievous self as usual. He knows she’s fine, he healed her himself. This could be good though. He can help you hone your byakugan.” A light bulb seemed to go off in her head. “Just don’t forget about shadow clones! They are pretty awesome.”

Yuuki laughed. “Those are only good for distractions. I don’t see a practical use for them in battle.”

Naruto grinned. “You don’t even know 1% of their potential.” She raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “No, but surely they’re useless when you’re training. I won’t bore you with information about a useless _forbidden_ jutsu.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Just tell me.” She was becoming annoyed.

“You’ll figure it out if you use them enough. I wouldn’t tell you to figure it out if I knew you couldn’t handle them.  I can tell you have the chakra for it. Hey, it even took me three years to catch on to their primary advantage.”

She smiled. _Bingo!_ “I guess I’ll just have to figure it out in three days.” They finally neared the house.

Naruto looked to her curiously. “What makes you so sure it’ll be that easy?”

They stopped walking and she turned to him. “Because you suck at hiding information when you talk to me. If you ‘caught on’ to them, then it’s just a matter of perceptiveness. And tell Hitomi to get well soon if you see her!” Naruto’s jaw dropped. _Did she really come from my gene pool?_

“This is where I take my leave. Tell your mother I have work at the office, but we’re still on for tonight. Good luck!” He vanished in a flash.

“Guess it really is important business then.” She looked across the way at Takeshi’s house and sighed. “You better not leave me behind you jerk!”

She rushed inside and yelled, “I’m home, mom!” Hinata jumped, as she was cleaning near the door. “Sorry mom, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Hinata hugged her daughter gently before pulling away. “I was worried about you, Yuuki. Are you feeling alright? Did your father already talk to you?”

“Yeah, I’m doing fine. Just a little sore, that’s all.” She sighed. “Dad grounded me for five days.”

Hinata smiled. “You know it’s only because we love you. And I’m glad you’re just sore, but you know that’s not what I mean. First, Isami won’t stay put forever.  I know you haven’t seen him much, so go talk to him.”

Yuuki sighed again. “He’s such a pervert now though! I’m sure all he’s going to talk about is the latest girl he’s been chasing.” Hinata gave her a stern look. “Okay, I get it. Where’s he at?”

Hinata smiled as she went back to finish cleaning up. “He’s in the backyard training.” She thought for a moment. “I hope he’s training anyways. Tell him to make less of a mess when he’s here!”

Yuuki listened and headed outside. The yard was actually quite large and well suited for training. It wasn’t as huge as Takeshi’s, but it looked much better. She found her brother meditating on the small bridge that arched over the small decorative river. She closed in and started a conversation. “Hey Isami, mom told me to come talk to you, so-“

He leaped up and pointed at her. “Finally! Prepare for battle, sister!” She looked at him in shock, unable to think. _Huh?_

“No, I’m really not in the mood for a spar.” A clone jumped at her and dispersed before he hit her. She was getting annoyed. “That’s not going to work, you won’t make me!” Several clones showed up now, each dispersing an instant before they touched her. It was his famous annoy tactic. “Stop it!” They kept coming one after another before she kicked one between the legs and activated her byakugan. “Fine! Bring it on, perverted brother!”

He was crouched a little now for some reason. “One moment…” She seemed confused, but took the advantage to make two clones. He stood up again. “Not bad Yuuki! Exploiting a weakness in a jutsu is good. Let’s see what you can do!”

She sent a clone to his back side and attacked with the other in front. He smiled as he began to parry every blow she through. As goofy as he was, his gentle fist style was quite superb. _What was he talking about, ‘exploiting a weakness’? Maybe that’s why I feel so sore. I found out the hard way that I see what my clones see. Just another reason they’re bad news._ She went for a leg sweep as her clone attacked for the blind spot.

He raised an eyebrow before shouting, “Eight trigrams palms heavenly spin!” Yuuki was launched away as her clones were released. She rubbed her head, frustrated. “I should have known you’d be able to pinpoint my blind spot now. That’s all I wanted to see.” He walked over to her and quickly healed all of the small scrapes. “Gentle fist is something that’s honed from spars. You’re getting better, Yuuki.” He smiled and helped her up.

Yuuki smiled back. “It’s nice to see you aren’t in pervert mode today. You’re almost like an older brother.”

He laughed. “Yeah, well Hitomi is talking to her brother right now, so I figured I should talk to my sister.”

“Wow, that’s nice of you.” She narrowed her eyes. “So you were being a pervert.”

He started tripping over his words. “Come on! It’s not like that! She was injured under my command, so I’m just checking to see if she’s okay. Quit spreading rumors about me. Besides, she always did reject me.” She rolled her eyes and he smiled. “You and Takeshi dating yet?”

Her face turned pure red. “As if I’m interested in dating him! He’s my childhood friend!”

Isami snickered now. “I see. Don’t go peeking on him now that you can use the byakugan, pervy sister!”

She screamed as she kicked him as hard as she could between the legs sending him down. “Don’t put me in the same class as you! I can’t believe you’d even think of these things! I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” He slowly got back up and recovered. “I was just lightening the mood. I know something’s bothering you. I’ll behave; just tell me what’s on your mind. I hate seeing you depressed, Yuuki!”

She stared at him and decided it was genuine. “Fine, but I get to vent all of it on you. Sure you can handle it?”

He smirked. “I’ve got five years on you, try me.” They walked over to the bridge and sat down. There she began to fill him in on what happened.  After she finished, they both sat in silence. He turned to say something, but he just couldn’t form the words. “What’s happening Isami? Why did we get attacked?”

He knew a good deal being a high rank in ANBU, but obviously if their father didn’t tell her, he was trying not to worry her. “Yuuki, I know it’s hard to understand. Dad and I want nothing more than to tell you everything, but we just can’t risk information getting in the wrong hands.” She looked into the pond with a sad face. He sighed. “This is something that won’t be changed. I can tell you that everything will be fine for at least three years. Just accept what’s happening and use it to get stronger.” She turned to him, knowing he probably shouldn’t even be saying this much. “They aren’t trying to get you or Takeshi specifically. It was just convenient, that’s all.” He rubbed his face as if telling himself to stop there. “I’m sure you can piece it together from there.” Isami stood up. “Actually, it was nice talking with you about everything. I’ve got to go to dad’s office. I’ll talk to you again when I can.”

It was strange for them to share a conversation like this anymore. “Isami.” He looked at her as she smiled at him. “Bring this brother back more often, won’t you?” He smiled back, putting on his wolf mask. He quickly dispersed and she was left alone. Yuuki stood up, but she was still happy. “He’s right.” She began stretching. “Five days? I’ll become stronger than Takeshi in that time. Who knew my brother still had his caring side?” She laughed. “I better start training and stop getting depressed.”

“Wow, do you always talk to yourself?”

She turned around and yelled in embarrassment. “Shut up! Get your lazy ass to dad’s office already. I take back what I said about you being useful!” Isami laughed as he disappeared in a flash again. Yuuki used the brief anger to pump herself up. “Byakugan!”

-Author’s character elaboration-

Noriko\- She is obviously Yuuki’s academy rival. Takeshi doesn’t know why they hate each other so much, but Noriko finds great pleasure in making Yuuki angry. I think she adds a good witty counter to Yuuki. She is very indirect, but it doesn’t seem to prevent her from coming out on top.

Hitomi-Takeshi’s older sister who has always been there for him. As strong and cool as Takeshi can be, he seems to always appear childish when she’s around. Hitomi doesn’t take many things serious, but she is quite powerful when she does.

Isami-Yes, he is Naruto’s eighteen year old son. And yes, he finds great pleasure in trolling others. Though his true strength will not be revealed yet, he has more than earned his high rank in ANBU. He teases his sister a lot, but deep down he only wants to protect her. Obviously, the wolf mask is my way of trolling the typical fox mask.

I’m looking at two big chapters coming up, and I want to get them just right, so it may take a little longer than the swiftness of these chapters, but I think they’ll be worth it. Small canon reunion and epic self-loathing (not the emo kind)! 


	4. Not Far Off the Tree

-Authors note-

You may have noticed how tough shadow clones are in this fic. My philosophy is the more chakra they have, the less you should be able to slap them away. Also, my spin on combat damage is fatigue to the original. Yuuki complains about them, but it’s the first jutsu she’s known, so uses them without question.

Also, I love writing fight scenes. There are some instances I can’t describe what I’m seeing too well, but hopefully you can get a good picture of it all.

 **(Chapter 4: Not Far Off the Tree)**

Yuuki studied her clones closely as they stalemated blow for blow. It had already been two hours of non-stop training and she opted to observe flaws in her technique. At first it was intriguing, utilizing them this way. However, after a while it became dull. She released them and took a brief intermission. Despite having byakugan and gentle fist brawling, she still felt surprisingly energetic. Maybe she was itching to get in on the action, but this time she needed to step it up.

She summoned two clones and this time observed them as they activated byakugan and faced her. Yuuki smirked, activating her byakugan as well. “You know what to do.” Just as she settled her stance, they charged without hesitation. She parried the first blow and noted the second clone flanking around. She used her free arm to parry its incoming attack while thwarting the first clone’s second strike. Immediately she began wondering how long she could keep it up. She hadn’t been successful in seeing the chakra system and while she retained the majority of her chakra, these two were both quite strong. The pressure Yuuki felt was far greater than before. She was forced to attempt engaging them one at a time to prevent the chance of a double team. She noticed her style was improving already since the fight with her brother, but that also meant her clones were at the same level.

As she attempted another swift jump, she felt her balance sway a little and was quickly punished for it. The second clone quickly jabbed her lower right thigh as it simultaneously attacked her arm.  The first clone parried her left arm away and gave Yuuki a palm thrust to the chest. The force threw her several feet back and slammed her to the ground. The clones backed off and waited for her to continue. She felt her chakra closed off to her right leg and the sharp pain in her chest. Both held a numb sensation joined by a burning pain. She attempted to force herself through the hurt and rose a couple inches. Unfortunately, she fell back down to one knee and began panting heavily. Her clones motioned towards her for aid, but they froze in their tracks at the expression she shot them. Despite the pain, her inner will began breathing new life into her. Very slowly, she scraped herself up and noticed her clones. They were faint, but she saw a semi-highway system in them. Every motion they made was mapped out as more of the blue fire concentrated to the point. _This is it!_ “Why are you just standing there?” She snapped, gaining her second wind. “I don’t want you to stop until I’m out cold!”

They quickly both attacked from the front. Yuuki watched as the chakra pointed out their movements and easily began to parry them and even land a few checking blows. She managed to grab the second one and slung it into the first. A smirk grew upon her on sight of their frustration. “Time to give you two a little payback!” They again charged as the chakra indicated their attack. They both attempted to strike with their right arms. She raised an eyebrow as she dipped to the left. Yuuki pinned the left arm and left leg of the first one and spun. Using the momentum, she also landed her left heel into the first clone’s face. The devastating combo forced the clone to disperse. The second clone retaliated with its right hand dropping at her. She parried with her left hand and pinned the clones left brachial artery. As it winced in pain, it tried to chop at her neck. She simply dipped under the swing and palmed her clones left side, destroying it.

The fatigue caught Yuuki as she collapsed with a smile. “I guess physical contact is risky, but rewarding. Seeing the chakra system was so amazing!” Her thoughts returned to the night before. She remembered seeing everything up to the kunai almost taking her head off. After it released, her eyes just activated by themselves. “It looks like a bit of trauma or courage helps it advance.” She groaned at her soreness. “I suppose the pain is definitely one of the side effects of shadow clones to.” Yuuki rested her weary eyes. “I’m going to take a well-deserved power nap now.”

OoOoOoOo

“Is that really the best a genius can do, Takeshi?” Hitomi danced around his taijutsu with grace in an attempt to mock him. She occasionally struck him to teach him his flaws. Nothing was working: Jutsus, ninja tools, even his speed was useless. She finally landed a kick to his face launching him back. She smiled heartily at him. “Don’t forget I used to be regarded as a genius.” She stuck her tongue out playfully as he charged right back at her.

“Genius or not, like hell you’re going to discourage me!” He had to admit she wasn’t any easier to spar even with his sharingan. Takeshi stopped this time, inches away. He pulled back, realizing the waste of energy before smiling. “Care if we step it up a notch?” She chuckled at him, raising an eyebrow. Takeshi quickly made hand signs and spewed his clan’s favorite fireball jutsu. As he predicted, she dodged to his right. He launched a couple shurikens as he cancelled his jutsu and charged her. He advanced, chucking several kunai straight into the air and began another futile taijutsu assault. She toyed with him as she once again dodged his punches, but not seconds later, the kunai began skimming her skin. She then became distracted and Takeshi landed a strong kick, pushing her right into the last kunai. He instantly panicked as he rushed to her aid. However, before he could reach her, a log appeared in her place.

Takeshi jerked around as quickly as he could, but was greeted sharply with a finger poke to his forehead. “Too slow little brother!” He was quick to rub the agitated area as he laughed. “That was actually a decent move though.” She grinned as she rubbed his hair.

“Not like it matters. You didn’t even use your sharingan and I still didn’t land a single hit.” He became a little more somber as he contemplated his inner frustration.

Hitomi looked at him with a more serious face. “Do you want to learn a new jutsu? It would only take a minute with your sharingan.”

Takeshi brightened up as he faced her once more. “No thanks!”

Hitomi was shocked, but sighed in relief. “I see.” She began to grin again. “I’m glad you are growing into the man you are. The sharingan should be your trump card, not your handicap. Use it only when you need to.” He blushed a little, but recovered his concern face.

“But you wouldn’t have broken your arm if you had your sharingan activated.”

She nervously laughed and rubbed her head. “Actually, I broke my arm when I hit my squad leader. He’s my friend, but his perviness will get him killed one day.” Takeshi felt sweat trickle down his neck. She lifted a finger to her lower lip in thought. “I almost feel bad breaking some of his ribs, since he healed my arm right up.”

He pocketed his hands closing one eye and half looking away. “So I guess you and Isami are getting closer then?”

Hitomi narrowed her eyes. “Nothing will ever happen with a pervert like that!” She then grew a counter-smile. “Did something more happen in the cave with Yuuki-chan, little brother?”

He instantly turned away from her with a flushed face. “N-no, as if…” he couldn’t see why he was so flustered, but he just tensed his shoulders and avoided eye contact. For some reason, his heart raced and a nervous sweat ensued.

She laughed as she further teased him, now hugging him. “AH! Kids are moving so fast now-a-days! I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt!” Takeshi’s jaw dropped as his whole body turned red. He couldn’t bring himself to move a muscle. Surely, he had found his way into hell. A rescuing voice interrupted the fun.

“Hitomi! Quit teasing the kid.” Sakura Yelled from the door. “You’re not giving me grandchildren until you’re thirty, Takeshi!” He didn’t know what was more embarrassing, the fact that she heard or the fact that she made it even more awkward. “I have to be going. Dinner is ready, just don’t destroy everything Hitomi.” Hitomi responded with a simple wave off as their mother left.

“I second that.” A voice came from the tree as a figure leapt down. “Don’t take your training for granted, Takeshi. You’re doing quite well. Remember: The sharingan is not something just any foe should get to see. Once you’ve mastered it, there is no reason to over use it.” Sasuke made his way over and placed his hands on his children. “I had to learn that the hard way, but it looks like you two are far wiser than I ever was. I just wanted to tell you both how proud I am of you. I don’t recall saying it enough.” He gave them a rare smile as he followed suit with Sakura. That wasn’t something either of knew how to respond to.

The feeling welled up in both of them, Takeshi forgetting his previous embarrassment. After a couple moments, Hitomi spoke her mind. “I wonder if dad’s been drinking.” They both couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought, but they knew their cold and calculating father couldn’t possibly be the drinking type.

OoOoOoOo

“Let’s do this!” Sasuke lined up a shot and challenged Naruto. It was a typical drinking competition between the two, but Sasuke was always the one who started it. They quickly gulped their drink and fought over who finished first.

“Would you act like adults already? We have things to discuss before you two drink each other under the table!” Sakura was quick to snap at them. She began rubbing her immensely large forehead in frustration. Over time, the drinking competition between the two escalated to dangerous points. They both sulked, pointing the finger at one another. Hinata rolled her eyes only to find Sai, Karin, and Kiba approach. Before she could even greet them, Naruto jumped up at them.

“Yo! It’s about time you three showed up!” He quickly scanned around. “I take it Kohada was too busy to make it, Kiba?” He nodded.

“Well, seeing as we’re going to be talking about shinobi issues, I figured she shouldn’t be caught up in the confusion.” He sniffed a couple times. “Or so I assumed we were going to talk business. You’ve had 3 shots already? What kind of Hokage are you?” Naruto rubbed his head with a grin.

“I suppose he’ll never learn. Both of you are hopeless!” Karin pointed her fingers to Sasuke and Naruto. “Let’s pray the others show up before we have to carry them home.” She walked over and sat next to Hinata and Sakura.

“Maybe it’s good to lighten up every once in a while. You shouldn’t give them such a hard time.” Sai came to their defense, but quickly dropped his smile when he saw Karin’s glare. “Anyways, who else are we waiting on?”

Naruto thought for a moment. “Well, Kakashi, Shikimaru, Neji, and I think Ino. Lee came too early and had to be escorted home. And I believe Konohamaru had something come up.” His eyes narrowed as if something bothered him. “Nah, I think that’s everyone.”

OoOoOoOo

Shino Sneezed as his nightly walk was interrupted by a troubling thought. He shrugged, deciding it was probably nothing.

OoOoOoOo

Kiba attempted to sniff past the stench of alcohol to search for the stragglers. “Looks like we’ve got more.” He pointed off to the side straight at a group of five. Ino, Ten-Ten and Temari were in front and lagging behind were Neji and Shikamaru. Kiba sighed at the group’s size. “Of course Kakashi isn’t with them…”

“Hey Naruto!” Ino waved with a smile. “Sorry Choji had something to do.” She pouted a little. “He wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

“That’s fine, really!” Naruto looked over to Neji and Ten-Ten. “Glad to see you two could make it on short notice. How’s your boy?” Naruto held his hand out to greet him.

Neji shook his hand and smirked. “Just as you’d imagine. He overworks himself and gets stronger by the day.” He looked over to Ten-Ten. “He’s getting to be a bit too dangerous with ninja tools I’d say.” Ten-Ten let out a nervous laugh as she followed Ino and Temari to the other girls.

Shikamaru sighed as he walked up closer to Naruto. “Between my daughter and my wife, I can barely cut a break. At least I’ve got two more guys to back me up on occasion.” He grew more serious and put a hand on Naruto’s shoulder. “How’s your daughter holding up?”

Naruto held a bright expression. “She’s more stubborn than I was. Hinata talked to her, but apparently she’s accepting it easier than I expected.” He exhaled sharply. “This isn’t something she’ll completely understand, but she’s still as upbeat as ever.”

Shikamaru padded him on the shoulder a little as they all took their seats. Sasuke sat impatiently at the extensive reunions, but occasionally joined in on the chatter. After a couple minutes, Naruto sighed and decided to begin. “Alright, let’s get business out of the way so we can catch up later.”

Naruto went to stand but a hand held his shoulder down. “As eager to start as always. Observe!” His old sensei strummed the strings above his head. As if a signal, the burst into flames and revealed an intricate network of more strings. A small explosion appeared into the table as sparking letters lit up above the the culprit.

“The life of the party has arrived! Hatake Anko!” To both of their disappointment, everyone just pointed and angrily reminded them they were late.

“I know you two probably worked on that for a while, but did you really think any of us didn’t notice? That’s why I said let’s start.” Naruto’s words seemed to send the couple into a depression. They had been choreographing all day for that moment. “Anyways, I’ll let Shikamaru explain everything. He’s better at these things.”

Shikamaru groaned as he got comfortable. “Troublesome as always. So, as you are aware, the forest and two children were attacked. The master mind behind this plot is a man named Guden. According to the reports and interrogations, he’s a ring leader of a group called Hell’s Phoenix. Their motives appear to be revenge against the Leaf and intentionally attacked Naruto’s daughter and Sasuke’s son.” The group grew quite serious and several were saddened by the news. “He used many of his stronger members to act as a decoy so he could take out the children. We have confirmed that he was slated to attack the village directly in three years, but noticed the children’s patterns and acted accordingly. This is a man with several side plans and back-up plans, and he is a lava user. That means he can use fire, wind, and earth.” Kakashi raised an eyebrow to this. “However, with his attitude towards Naruto and Sasuke, we can anticipate his attack to come on schedule.”

Kiba was quick to ask what everyone was concerned about. “Just how do you know he won’t attack sooner? It won’t be safe to send our children on missions based off assumptions.”

Shikamaru remained neutral in expression. “Like I said, this is a man who was intending on attacking us in three years. He has been plotting his revenge for quite some time now, but due to his recent plan catastrophically failing, he will not have the resources to attack on time. Conversely, he was not desperate in his words with Naruto. Therefore, we have agreed that it will likely be in three years or later.” Karen was next to attempt to voice her concern, but Shikamaru continued. “The last thing we need to do is terrify the children and scare the civilians. Missions will continue as normal, but inexperienced ninja will have ANBU carefully protecting them from the shadows. Are there any questions?”

Neji took him up on his curiosity. “Is there a chance we’re over-hyping this whole thing. He’s sly, but does he really have the power to attack us directly?”

Naruto quickly responded, “We have no choice but to believe so. If we find their hideout, we will request the nearest countries aid and crush them. All we can do for now is prepare.” The answer seemed acceptable for the time being. Naruto smiled. “It’s been a hard time recently, let’s loosen up a little. We’ve got some rough waters ahead.” He toasted to his old friends, stomping on Sasuke’s foot so he couldn’t finish his drink first.

The women began catching up with one another. It was same old same old. Karin complained about her daughter’s lack of personality, blaming Sai. Ten-Ten loved playing with her son, even if others felt ‘playing’ was too soft a word for it. Hinata had nothing but great things to say for her kids, despite her son’s…affectionate personality. Temari was happy with her two boys for not being lazy morons, but even they had their ‘troublesome’ moments. Sakura updated them on how great Takeshi was and the latest drama with her daughter. This always pushed Ino into a fit, claiming Sakura’s problems couldn’t hold a candle to her teenage twins. This lead to a typical silence in the group as they quietly sipped their drinks.

The guys never said a great deal. It consisted of watching Naruto and Sasuke get into a drinking contest. “Well, I’m headed home early. Kohada is probably worried.” Kiba stood and took one final shot, but immediately showed his disgust. The alcohol stung his nose every time.

“Isami told me to tell you to tell Kochi he said hi.” Naruto paused trying to piece back his previous sentence to no avail.

“It’s scaring me their getting along.” Kiba showed his concern for his daughter’s sanity, knowing all too well how Isami was. He opted to shake those feelings off. “I’m sure it’s just a friendly greeting though, so why not.”

Neji, Ten-ten, Shikamaru and Temari were the next to drop out. Naruto made his best attempt to see them off, but he soon tripped and remained there for a moment. The group just slowly turned and left while they could.

“Guess it’s down to team seven, huh?” Kakashi smiled through his mask. “And of course the lovely ladies who became a part of our family.”

Sasuke sighed as heard the comment. “You really have to be an old geezer about everything?” However, he held an uncharacteristic smile. “Is what I’d like to say, but it’s true.” It was as if a drunken confession was slipping out. Over the years he had truly seen what family could do to a man. “I think about where I would be if Naruto hadn’t beaten the shit out of me…” He swirled his drink around before finishing it. “But all I can see is death.” Naruto was nodding as he listened quite intently. “All I can do now is guarantee no one else goes through that self-destructing cycle.”

Sakura chuckled at his confession. “I remember you practically begging me for a date without saying the word date. You just wouldn’t let me go after I healed you up.” He hid his face as Naruto slid him a drink.

“I don’t see why everyone overthinks life like you guys did. All you need to do is work hard and be happy.” Naruto let another mouthful slide down.

“It’s easier when you start out with emotions.” Sai added as he showed a true smile across his face. “Karin was really the one who showed me all of them.” She blushed a little as she pushed up her glasses. “Speaking of which, we have to go. We need to do this more often than once a month.” Sai left some money as he grabbed Karin and made their way into the distance. It was really shocking how Sai and Karin attracted each other so much, but not a single person could deny their love. Naruto grinned now as a thought came to him.

“Shadow clone shots!” He began lining up several shots as Sasuke began slapping himself awake. “Who’s in?” Sakura and Hinata both stuck their tongues out and gestured a clear no. “Well, I guess it’s just us then. We all now the old couple can’t handle anymore.” Kakashi facepalmed.

“Now wait just a second!  We’re not that much older than you!” Kakashi went to pull her away but she pushed him off. “Count me in!”

Naruto grew a mischievous smile. “It’s simple: All you have to do is make five shadow clones and bottoms up! Then just release the jutsu.” She made her clones as she gave them a confident smile. Glasses clanked high in the air as they prepared. “Here’s to not remembering tonight!” They quickly raced down the drinks, Anko making it a point to finish first.

She slammed the glasses down and released the jutsu. “Haha, who’s the old one n-“ Her heart began beating faster as her eyes widened. Suddenly, time slowed as her vision was smeared by the uncontrollable sway of her head. Her blinks became longer as sounds became muffled. Finally, she mustered the strength to attempt a step.

Kakashi caught her as she went out cold. “That’s my cue to call it a night.” He glared at them. “I appreciate you drinking my wife into a drunken coma, but next time, maybe just do normal shots.” He readied himself to take off. “Take it easy, Hokage.”

With that he was gone in a flash. Hinata tried to give Naruto a guilt trip about what he’d done. “Was that necessary? Everyone knows she can barely handle liquor better than Lee.” Naruto exhaled trying to focus, but he leaned to far back and fell out of his chair.

Sasuke snapped back into reality and saw his friend lying on the floor. “You’re not drunk are you? Scaredy cat!” He proceeded to laugh himself out of the chair. Both Hinata and Sakura put their foot down.

“We’re done here!” Naruto shot up completely sober now.

“Aww, I was just getting started!” He looked over and saw Sasuke out cold. “Well, I guess he doesn’t have clones to diffuse some of his BAC. I’m surprised he lasted this long.”

Sakura picked her husband up and glared at Naruto. “Don’t tell him about this. I don’t think any man’s ego could handle it. Have a good night Hinata. Good luck with your ‘boy’”. As Sakura left, Hinata put her hands on her hips and stared him in the eyes. Naruto grinned acting like he had no clue what he did.

OoOoOoOo

The day started like any other for Yuuki. She rolled out of bed and got ready for a long day of training. The smell of breakfast brought her to the kitchen to find her father rubbing his head and her mother casually lecturing him. “Good morning!” Naruto cringed a little, but they both returned the friendly greeting. “You over did it again, didn’t you?” She knew her father liked to drink on these occasions, but this was the result every time. It was more annoying to her than anything.

“It was a long night, Yuuki. We were getting a lot of boring speeches and had tedious planning to do.” She glared at him while taking a seat. “Don’t worry, I’ll be up and running in no time!”

“So you didn’t have any alcohol at all?” He smiled to her, hoping she wouldn’t press the issue. “I hate when you lie to me. I’m glad you never consider that when you do those ‘meetings’.” Yuuki’s cold attitude struck Naruto worse than his hangover.

Hinata put food in front of them. “I’ll admit he goes overboard still, but it’s not something we get to do often. It’s the few times we get to see the friends we grew up with.” Yuuki shrugged, still upset with her father’s irresponsible behavior. “To make it up to you, I’ll help you train today after your father leaves to his office.” Yuuki felt very relieved to hear that as she proceeded to eat. She had never really seen her mother actually fight before, so it would be interesting to see what she knew.

The Hokage gave his wife a tender kiss as he took his leave. Yuuki waved him off and went outside to warm up. Not long after her mother casually walked out, ready to see what her daughter could do. “Are you ready? I don’t want you to hold back just because I’m your mother.”

Yuuki smirked as she took her stance. “I know better. Just don’t take me so lightly.” Hinata got in a relaxed defensive stance. Yuuki wasted no time to rush at her in excitement. She led with a couple swift jabs, but they were easily dodged. Yuuki attempted a palm thrust to her chest, but in an instant, her mother gracefully spun around it. She gave her used her hip to nudge her daughter. “Holding back much?”

“Just checking.” Yuuki activated her byakugan now and spun back into the fray. This time her attacks were much more precise. After a series of swings, she launched a right hook and followed it by dipping into a leg sweep. Although it was a good combo, Hinata was able to effortlessly dodge every move. “Not even using byakugan I see. I wonder if I’ll even land a hit at this rate.” Hinata chuckled as Yuuki began to use subtle variations of the same combo. After the third leg sweep, she simultaneously made three clones. They instantly began a vicious onslaught of combinations. Their tempo worked quite well with each other as Hinata was forced to begin parrying some blows. Finally, they tried for a combined team strike. The clone to Hinata’s right performed a leg sweep, the left a right hook, the rear went for a palm thrust, and Yuuki herself threw a downward right jab. Barely devising a plan in time, Hinata reacted masterfully: Her right hand pinned the right clone’s leg, her right leg parried the rear clone’s jab upward, her left leg caught the left clone’s hook between the elbow, and she used her left arm to deflect Yuuki’s arm down. Then, Hinata pushed off the right clone’s leg and flipped out of the dangerous area.

“I see you take after your father.” Yuuki smiled as she dispersed the clones and showed some thought. “And you’re catching on to their advantages?” Hinata brushed some hair out of her way and activated her byakugan. “I think it’s time we take this up another notch!” Yuuki was anticipating that moment the entire fight, but seeing what her mother was capable of was already impressive enough. As she gazed into Hinata’s eyes, chills ran down her spine and excitement overwhelmed her. This was going to be the most intense spar of her life.

(Final words)

There you have it. I ended up saving some content for next chapter, knowing it was a bit long for a single chapter. Yes, Anko survived in the 4th war, and just guess who her knight in shining armor was? The pairings may seem odd in some cases, canon in others. Believe me when I say I have already made mental one shots for each.

Btw, Kohada technically _is_ canon. No, she’s not a shinobi. She was one of the main victims of Jiraiya’s “research” after the 3 rd’s funeral. Look her up on Naruto.wikia, her daughter looks fairly similar to that (with clothes, perverts 0_O)

The pace is slowly moving faster. Action and more action comes next chapter, but I only have a few days before I transfer commands, so hopefully I can properly crank out another chapter by then.


	5. Growing Buds

-Hokage’s note-

This generation is lacking true hatred and angst. How nice it is to be oblivious to what the real world is capable of. Regardless, the only thing they can do now is become stronger. I can’t help but think it’s the next generation that must handle these matters. Besides, they have three whole years. ANBU will ensure their safety on missions, so nothing can go wrong. As long as my brother is around, I can rest easy. And then there’s him…

 ** Chapter 5: Growing Buds **

Yuuki had been stretching for a solid ten minutes. When her mother said she wasn’t going easy, she meant it. The sores ached at every tense muscle and all she could do is demand her body wake up. As her joints loosened, she proceeded to go to her living room. She found her dad in a deep thought. He put down his pen and tucked in his journal.

“Morning dad, what’s the occasion?” He turned and smiled at his daughter, signaling her to sit. She shrugged and pulled a chair. “I’m guessing since breakfast isn’t cooking, we’re expecting company?”

“Indeed we are: only the best company!” Yuuki rolled her eyes at his early morning sprite. “Uncle Konohamaru is coming over, and he’s bringing the family!” Yuuki’s eyes widened as she was ready to protest.

“You and him are the worst combo!” She sunk her face in her hand. “Here I was hoping for a peaceful day, but now I have to help keep you two in check.”

Naruto raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And you are too good for Kumi now? You two are just as mischievous of a combo!” She huffed at his accusation, but it wasn’t far off. For the most recent years, they had upgraded from hide and seek to hide important documents and Konohamaru’s cigarettes. She frankly enjoyed her nieces company: It was like the little sister she never had. Kumi was starting to excel in her classes to. Naruto broke her train of thought. “At least you can stop getting teased about you’re byakugan now. It did take you a while to be able to use it.” She shot him a killing look. “H-hey, that’s not a bad thing! At least you learned to fight and get by without it. Now that you’re bases are well built, you can flourish into a badass like you’re brother!” 

Yuuki thought about what her father said, but her face became even angrier when she thought about Isami. “Isami’s an idiot! He finds every little thing and teases me with it. Besides there’s nothing badass about being a pervert!”

“Objection!” Yuuki’s fell out of her chair and looked up to the celling, finding the source to the loud disturbance. “92.7% of all pervert ninjas become badass! It’s science!”

“Idiot! What kind of self respecti-“ She was cut off as he seemed to lose his grip and fall on her. She braced for impact, but he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke before he hit. Her face was turning purple in anger as the front door swung open. “I’m going to kill him!” Konohamaru almost let his cigarette fall out of his mouth.

“Bad timing?” Anger turned to embarrassment as she looked away. A hand placed itself on her shoulder as its voice answered for her.

“Just a little family talk.” Isami stood behind her and winked, signaling the ‘be good’ plan. She smirked.

“Right, we just like to vent frustration every once in a while. I couldn’t ask for a better brother to have.” Her uncle smiled. “Oh, and don’t forget to put out the cigarette before you come in.”

“Oh, of course. I forget it’s there sometimes.” He looked down and smothered it out on his shoe. Yuuki took this time to swiftly raise her heel into her brother’s crotch. Isami let out a subtle whimper. His legs wobbled and tears rolled out of his eyes as he attempted to hold his smile.

“Well at least let my sister in the door! She’s carrying groceries!” Konohamaru quickly shifted out of the way at his wife’s command. She was the kind of person that only asked nicely once.

“It’s not a problem Hanabi, but thanks anyways.” Hinata moved in and set her ingredients on the table. It’ll be about an hour before we get dinner up and running, so feel free to get comfortable.” Naruto greeted his brother-in-law with a grin and a handshake. They sat down and had little trouble finding things to catch up on.

“Let me help you with the cooking then. I imagine the boys don’t have interesting topics to discuss.” She turned to her daughter. “Yuuki became a ninja, Kumi. I’ll bet she knows all sorts of cool things now.” Her daughter’s eyes lit up and she immediately ran to greet her favorite cousin. Isami decided it was time for him to join in on the men’s discussion.

“Hey Kumi! How’s the academy treating you?” Yuuki wrapped her arm around her as they headed outside.

“Same old. You’re so lucky to have a headband. I wish I could just skip two years and be done with it already.” Once they near the river, Kumi’s mischievous side came out. “So what are we going to do this time? I was thinking we should first distract them by flipping all the furniture, then-“ Yuuki cut her off.

“Or I could show you some cool ninja stuff.” Kumi looked at her cousin and couldn’t help but snicker.

“No offense, but I don’t need the answers to a history exam. What do you know that I don’t?”

“How about this?” The voice was Yuuki’s, but it came from behind Kumi. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Yuuki and her clone started laughing hysterically. Kumi composed herself and gave the two a quick check over. She sighed, clearly unimpressed.

“I know how to do a simple clone jutsu. It’s so basic, Yuuki.”

She held a smirk. “Oh?” The clone fish hooked Kumi’s mouth as Yuuki started poking her in the forehead. Kumi swatted at the two of them and jumped back, very confused. “Can a simple clone do that? I’m sure you already know how to do this then.” Kumi re-examined the two, even poking them to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. Both of them seemed to be her cousin.

“Okay, you got me. What is this jutsu?” Yuuki put up a single hand seal and grinned. Kumi got in a defensive stance and observed carefully. “At least I can use my byakugan.”

“Kage bunshin no jutsu!” A group of ten Yuuki’s appeared in a cloud of smoke. Kumi’s jaw dropped at the sight of such a jutsu. She activated her young byakugan to see that every single ‘Yuuki’ had chakra. “These are shadow clones. They have physical matter behind them, can use jutsu’s, and they can think for themselves. My dad taught me a couple weeks ago. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Wow! That’s so awesome!” Yuuki rubbed her nose and almost forgot about her byakugan. She opted to activate it along with several of her clones. Kumi’s jaw dropped once again. “You finally unlocked byakugan to? I never knew you were this cool!” Kumi gave a brief moment of consideration before nodding. “You have to teach me this! I’ll do whatever you need me to do.” She extended her hand. “I formally accept you as the boss.”

They shared a devious grin as Yuuki accepted the hand shake. God only knows what they could accomplish with shadow clones.

OoOoOoOo

A scent carrying a potpourri of ingredients was carried in the steam from the kitchen. While it could make any lesser man’s mouth salivate, the men were not fazed by it. The conversation had taken a more serious tone once Yuuki and Kumi went outside. It was a matter concerning her, but she was not allowed to know about it.

“So let me get this straight.” Isami put his drink down and crossed his arms. “You want me to stalk this team without anyone knowing but their sensei, who won’t know about me? Is someone stalking me while I do this?” Naruto went to answer, but Isami had one more thing to add. “Can it be Hitomi? A little role reversal is nice sometimes.” His mind started wondering again. Konohamaru slapped him back into reality.

“No, what he’s saying is you are to recon the area for any missions concerning the team while they remain inexperienced. You only have to do this while the team is out of the country.” Konohamaru turned to Naruto. “Are you sure you want me to be her sensei? She’s not going to pick on me every day, is she?”

Naruto sipped his drink. “We know what we know. You’re the strongest we have and they’re the only targets thus far. It works out. This Guden man won’t risk an attack on our teams with this kind of security. Besides, it brings back memories. I think I’ll have Isami be Kumi’s sensei later on.”

Konohamaru’s eyes widened a little as he looked at Isami. He was attempting to balance his drink on his nose. “I have a great deal of knowledge that everyone should be aware of. It only makes sense.” His talking almost tipped the glass over, but he saved it by focusing chakra in his nose. Konohamaru mind raced as he went through the possible scenarios for his daughter. All of them made him shiver for the future. Isami finally put his glass down and smiled. “It’s been fun, but there’s something important I have to do today.”

Naruto’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t remember having anything important needing done.” He thought about it. “Actually, where have you been going the past few days?” Isami just stood and put his wolf mask on.

“I’m running errands for someone out of personal preference. Don’t worry, we always eat somewhere before the events. I’ll be back in the immediate future. By the way, I think it’s about time I find a place of my own to stay.” He vanished in a swarm of leaves; leaves that made a mess of the living room.

“You only put the mask on for ANBU missions Isami!” Naruto moped in his chair as Konohamaru started picking up the mess he left. “I wonder who this ‘someone’ is. What’s the whole event thing he was talking about? When did he decide he was going to move out?” Naruto started scratching his head, not able to make any sense of his son. Then again, he never really could. Konohamaru made him snap out of thought and hold a trash bag. “Oh yeah, he made a mess again! I should go find him and make him clean this for once!”

Konohamaru tied the bag up. “I’ll take it out. I was about to check on those two anyways. Who knows what they could have hidden in this amount of time.”

Hanabi’s head swung around. “You mean you’re going to go smoke again, right? Make yourself useful and tell them lunch is ready.” He grunted, throwing the trash over his shoulder and waving her off.

As he ventured to the back, he was surprised to find both the kids doing something productive. He hid near the trash can and observed what they had been up to. Yuuki was explaining something with great enthusiasm that held kumi’s attention undivided.

“Well, I could explain the science of it all day, but now you know more of the basics. Just try to imagine taking a chunk of your chakra and what you want that chakra to mold into.” Kumi held a critical thinking pose, considering the information carefully. Yuuki tapped her foot, feeling a sense of anticipation. “Come on! Don’t give it so much thought, just try doing it naturally.”

Kumi nodded, showing determination and a hint of nervousness. This time she wouldn’t disappoint her boss. She formed her hands up and exhaled. “Kage bunshin no jutsu!”  A loud poof joined in and Kumi kept her eyes shut. “Oh please, tell me I did it this time.” She slowly opened one eye and saw herself holding up the victory hand sign. “Whoa, I actually did it!” She started prodding the clone who swatted her fingers at every following attempt. Yuuki stood in a proud pose. “I feel kind of tired now though.”

“That’s because it took up a lot of chakra.” A smoke trail approached them as Kumi’s father smiled. “I see you take after yours truly. It reminds me of when I was young. I was going to teach you that jutsu in a couple years, but I guess it works out just as well.”

Kumi rolled her eyes. “Dad, is there a reason you’re trying to act all cool? We’re kind of busy here.” The wind was swept out of Konohamaru’s sails as he hung his head.

“So cruel!” They both just stared blankly at him. “Fine! I guess you didn’t want to know lunch is ready!” He turned away when their expressions instantly beamed with life. A tear came out as he walked away. “Now the smoke’s in my eye…”

As he left Yuuki casually back handed Kumi’s shoulder. “No sense in killing yourself with that technique. Next time I’ll show you the latest and greatest of my arsenal!” Kumi dismissed the clone with a look of shock.

“No way boss! You already have a trump move? You’re not bluffing?” Yuuki gave grinning wink as she started running back into the house. “She’s zipping through this stuff like it’s nothing! When did she get so much motivation?” She looked to her fist and clinched it. “That’s why she’s my boss! Guess it’s time to move on from the pranks.” Kumi ran in pursuit of her leader. “What a cool cousin. Well, cooler than Nagi anyways!”

OoOoOoOo

After a couple hours passed, the family began parting ways. Konohamaru turned to Yuuki and smiled. “Don’t go overboard today. You’ve got a pretty important day tomorrow.” She waved him and the family off as they made their way down the road. Once it quieted down, Naruto began gathering his things to prepare to catch up on some paperwork. Yuuki had a thought jolt into her head.

“Hey dad, who’s on my team? I know you’re the one organizing them.” He showed an annoyed face.

“You’ll find out tomorrow. Just because I’m your father doesn’t mean I can break tradition.” She gave him a crossed arm puppy dog face. He rolled his eyes at this. “Quit complaining! If it’s any consolation, the teams gonna be badass.” Her eyes flickered at that.

“Can I go over to Takeshi’s house today?” He snapped his head back to her, but this time she had the saddest, most innocent face he’d seen.

He grunted. “Oh, give me a break! You’re still grounded!” She didn’t back down even a little. He sunk his head, feeling the defeat. “Fine, but don’t say I never did anything cool for you.” She practically vanished before he could finish his sentence. After an extended pause, he followed, “Hurry and leave before I change my…” Naruto turned to realize only Hinata left, laughing at him. His jaw dropped at the audacity of his daughter. “Damn teenagers!”

“What’s this? The legendary sixth Hokage was defeated by a young girl?” Naruto felt his pride being pulled from under him. “I think it’s a fair trade though. Those two are way closer than Isami and Hitomi ever were.”

Naruto scoffed as he kissed her goodbye. “I’m leaving before I get chastised any further!  Make sure Isami gets back at a decent hour. I think he’s pretty suspicious lately.” It was then when he noticed how quiet things were. Suddenly, he swept her into his arms, making her giggle in excitement. This time he gave her a longer kiss as she wrapped her arms around him. Once he pulled away, he gave her a foxy grin. “Don’t say I never did anything cool for you either!”

Hinata rubbed his face. “Oh honey…” Her fingers pinched his face as she smiled back. “You need to work on those cliché lines a little more.” They shared a brief laugh as she rested her hand on his chest. “It’s a shame you’re so busy on days like this.” His hand drifted lower and firmly grasped her inner thigh. Her eyes jumped along with her body as she blushed.

“Who knows…I might put work on hold for a bit.” They shared a stare, and felt the passion swiftly build. Finally, their lips locked in an inseparable kiss.

OoOLoLOoOo

Yuuki quickly crossed the street and pounded on the door. Sakura answered and greeted her. “Hello Yuuki. Looking for Takeshi?” She nodded enthusiastically. “Well come on in. He’s outside with Hitomi. They’re about to start sparring and training soon.” Yuuki navigated through the living room and into the backyard.

The two siblings were in the process of stretching when Yuuki interrupted. “Takeshi, what’s up!” She ran up to him as he turned in surprise.

“Yuuki? I thought you were grounded until tomorrow.” She laughed as she rubbed her head. “I see. So you talked down your punishment again.” An awkward silence built between the two. Takeshi was trying to break the ice. “So…do you want to have a quick match?” Hitomi facepalmed at her brother. He was still too naïve, but it wasn’t her business.

“Actually, how about you two team up and spar against me?” Hitomi helped her brother out a little.

“What? That may be a little too difficult.” Yuuki crossed her arms and contemplated the idea. “But if it’s me and Takeshi, there’s no way we can lose. Right Takeshi?”

Takeshi sweated a little and smiled. “R-Right!” Yuuki tilted her head in confusion of his behavior. “Let’s get started then.” He avoided her eyes for some reason. It didn’t make since why, but he couldn’t stop acting strange. He let out a nervous laugh.

Without warning, Hitomi kicked her brother back into the fight. “Come on already! You said we started.” Yuuki dipped low for a rotating kick, but Hitomi just leapt back. Takeshi got back up, wondering why his sister attacked so suddenly.

“Takeshi, quit day-dreaming! I need your help!” He had a quick flashback to that day he saw her die. In no time at all, he was right beside her. “Tell me all about it when we’re done. Right now, I want to see if you’ve been falling behind.”

Takeshi reached for a kunai. “Don’t get arrogant. Just try to keep up with me.” Yuuki grinned as she readied herself. He charged his sister, tossing the kunai at her left leg. Yuuki was quick to follow through with a kunai to Hitomi’s right side. She escaped by jumping upwards and spinning. Takeshi was there to greet her with a taijutsu assault. Yuuki couldn’t help but notice Takeshi had become faster and his taijutsu was more deadly. While no hits were making contact, it gave her time to create shadow clones and get her byakugan running.

Takeshi pushed off of her blocking arm and waited to synchronize an attack with Yuuki, but two clones were already in full swing. Hitomi saw them approach from either side. She flipped over one’s leg sweep and grabbed the other’s round house kick, continuing the flip to safety.

Yuuki pulled Takeshi aside and whispered her idea. “Those are clones I can dispel at any time, Takeshi. I would use your fireball jutsu while she’s distracted with them.” He looked back and gave a subtle nod. The clones were giving Hitomi a tougher time than he ever could. It was two versus one, and they could clearly see what her movements leaned towards.

“Alright, but this alone won’t be able to take her down. She’s just toying with us right now.” He formed his hand seals and waited for the best time.

“I come prepared for these situations anyways.” Yuuki crossed her arms in pride. As her clones backed Hitomi near a large boulder, another clone jumped down. Hitomi was forced to begin parrying them, making sure to not allow their gentle fist connect. Right as she considered countering one to even the odds, all three dispersed in a cloud of white smoke.

 _I see what they’re thinking. Clever._ A massive fireball consumed the white smoke and smacked the giant boulder.

“Yuuki, was that a hit?” Takeshi turned to see Yuuki run by him. “Hmm?” He shook of his thoughts. “Wait a second, don’t just charge in alone!” He drew a kunai and followed behind. Yuuki rolled by the tree Hitomi leaned against and got in her stance.

“Not bad you two. How about we get out of warm up phase then?” As Hitomi opened her eyes, Yuuki noted the deadly, yet beautiful eyes of the sharingan. Yuuki smirked, masking the chills and jitters she felt.

“Sharingan already? Trying to scare us?” Takeshi wrapped a kick around the tree as Yuuki swept in close for a palm thrust. Hitomi within a flash pinned Takeshi against the tree and held a kunai to both their throats.

“Not so much to scare as to protect. I wouldn’t want to kill you two, now would I?” Yuuki couldn’t find words with the shock. Her eyes couldn’t predict that kind of concise speed. A cold sweat drifted down her neck. Hitomi snickered as she grabbed Takeshi and threw him into Yuuki. The collision made them slide ten meters away.

Yuuki grunted as she pushed herself up with her arms. “That was a bit much. Is this how you’ve been training Takeshi?” A hand appeared in front of her to her surprise. The tall figure was silhouetted by the afternoon sun.

“That’s not even a tenth of what I’ve been taking. Let’s hurry up and land a hit on her while she’s still toying with us.” She smiled as he helped her up. Takeshi was getting tougher to keep down already. Hitomi stopped twenty feet from them. They were in an open area surrounded by a forest line. She crossed her arms and smiled deviously.

“Whenever you two are ready to get serious, come at me. I won’t move from this spot. I’ll even buy you ramen if you land a hit!”

Yuuki searched her pouch. “You’ll regret making that wager.” She pulled out a smoke bomb and slammed it into the ground. She grabbed Takeshi and told him her new plan. A good two minutes passed and Hitomi narrowed her eyes, growing impatient. Suddenly, several clones ran out to the left and right: Three on either side. Once they had made a circle, they closed in and attempted to flank every possible point Hitomi had. As they were getting countered and destroyed, Takeshi emerged from the smoke and drew a kunai. As the last clone was defeated, he began an assault of his own, but his style was completely different and more fluent. Hitomi instantly made sure to watch out for gentle fist.

“Not a bad idea, Yuuki. You even picked up on his kunai charging habit.” The clone smirked as it dispersed and left smoke in her face. She instantly jumped over the fireball that swept through. She landed to find Takeshi charging behind a Yuuki and another behind him in a single file line. Staying true to her word, Hitomi gained a slightly wider base waiting for the attack. Suddenly, the forward Yuuki face planted only a foot away, making Hitomi chuckle. Takeshi Jumped high over Hitomi to avoid trampling the clone. As Hitomi’s eyes couldn’t help but drift up, she felt a sting in her legs. Losing her focus, she glanced down, giving the rear clone the chance to land a solid shove. The anchoring of her ankles was enough to send her airborne. Now the blinding sun made it too difficult to spot Takeshi’s kick as she was now lined up perfectly with his attack. He planted his foot into her chest and sent her to the ground.

Despite her hard fall, Hitomi just busted out laughing. “What kind of ridiculous attack was that?” Yuuki and Takeshi high-fived while laughing themselves. “The face plant was a maneuver I’ve never seen before, so you got me.” Hitomi rolled up and brushed herself off. “What a strange way to land a hit. I guess I owe you two ramen.” She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and exhaled. “I planned on letting you guys get a hit in regardless, but you really did quite well. Both of you will make Chunin in no time!”

OoOoOoOoOo

Yuuki slammed down her fourth bowl down as Takeshi and Hitomi winced at her. They finished their only bowl and Hitomi proceeded to bargain with Teuchi to get a discount as Takeshi and Yuuki walked out. “Takeshi, you’ve gotten pretty good with close-quarters combat, haven’t you? And it looks like your chakra has increased significantly.” Takeshi scratched the back of his head as he laughed lightly. He had grown stronger, but it paled in comparison to Yuuki’s new strength.

“Hell, I don’t even know if I’m the stronger of us now. You’re quicker, more fluent, more concise, and using shadow clones like their nothing.” He pocketed his hands. “I can probably only beat you in speed and durability now. It’s amazing how far you’ve come in just a few days.” Yuuki blushed at what she heard. She didn’t really notice just how far she’d come herself.

“Don’t forget her tactics in the fight. She never made a questionable move and your teamwork was flawless.” Hitomi caught up to the conversation. “You two better be in the same team. Complete trust like that is hard to come by in a generation.” They shared a smile as they came upon the Uchiha house. “You guys should try to do the land-a-hit challenge with Isami in a few months. It’s a good next step to check your progress. But you two can rematch me anytime.”

Yuuki glared at her a little. “What can my idiot brother do that you can’t?”

Hitomi smiled and opened the door. “I used to think the same thing. Currently, he’s probably on par with your father. If not, he is likely on par with my father.” Yuuki’s jaw dropped. “I don’t think you really know how strong he is in every area. He doesn’t try, but he’s a pure genius. I may hate his type, but you have to respect him sooner or later.” She eyed Takeshi and winked. “Weellll, see you inside Takeshi!”

She shut the door before he could escape. He regained his bearing and turned back to Yuuki. She was still in shock at her brother’s apparent strength, but it didn’t take her long to snap out of it. “Yuuki, once again you were completely unpredictable.” She smiled and gave him a sudden hug. He was shocked as his arms barely touched her. Her skin was far softer than he figured.

She pulled away slowly. “I’m glad we got to see each other before tomorrow.” He began to notice how cute her face was up close. He had to fight to maintain a normal eye contact. “No matter what happens, we’ll be partners, right?” She waited intently for him to respond. She became confused when she saw his absent look, so she moved her face in closer to get a better look. His heart raced as he turned red. “Takeshi, you there?”

Her face was even closer. He decided to abort mission. “R-Right! Anytime you need me, I’ll be right here. Oh, look at the time. We need to get some rest for tomorrow. See you later!”

Takeshi quickly disappeared before Yuuki could say anything. Her eyes saddened. “What’s with him?” She curled her finger under her lip. “Did I upset him? Maybe he doesn’t like how fast I’m growing…” She slowly turned and walked back to her house, looking back to his on occasion. “I hope it’s nothing.”

 **-Authors note-**

Man, finally settled in to my next duty station. I apologize for anyone trying to follow the story. I’ll be resuming work on it in between the writing of a piece that’s very important to me. Basically, I’m shooting for weekly updates. There was talk and only a little action this chapter, but I still enjoyed it. I wanted to put some romantic depth in this chapter, and I think it will be nice to develop from here. I wonder who’s going to be grouped with whom? Hmmm…Guess you’ll just have to see next chapter.

Konohamaru & Hanabi: I like these two. Originally I was going to leave Kono alone, but this gives him a deeper connection to Naruto and Yuuki. He picked up smoking when he was old enough. Asuma was one of my favorite characters, and all the Sarutobis smoke, so that’s me pretending to justify the habit. 

Enough note-age. They will not be this long from here on. If you’re curious about anyone or you have reasonable ideas, I’m willing to listen. Just don’t be offended if I turn ideas down, as I have a solid plot line ready. If you have criticism, lay it down. It’s very important to my future to get these feedbacks. Peace out people!


	6. Hard Work and Sacrifice

** Chapter 6: Hard Work and Sacrifice **

Takeshi awoke earlier than normal. The conflicts of his new found feelings towards Yuuki spun in his head. After several minutes of thinking, he finally admitted to himself that he liked her more than a friend should. _If I keep acting strange, she’ll probably start questioning me._ He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. _I guess I just need to tell her when the time is right. For now, I should focus on getting stronger to protect her. I just need to tell myself I’m not worthy enough yet._ Satisfied with his temporary solution, Takeshi began preparing for the day ahead.

OoOoOoOo

“Dad, this is the last time I’ll bug you for smoke bombs. I’ll buy my own when I go on missions. Please!” Naruto contemplated for a moment and reluctantly agreed.

“I’ll give you three this time. I know I don’t need to emphasize using bombs wisely. The expense can add up for the fresh genin pay.” He smiled as he handed them to her. “Why do you need them today though?”

“Didn’t Isami go through a trial when he was assigned to his team?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Or is there something different planned for our team that you’d like to share?”

Naruto sweated a little. “Nothing inherently important. You should go before you’re late.” He sealed his lips. Yuuki rolled her eyes and left quickly.

“Just get some cool missions lined up for me and my team. We’ll be chunin before you know it.” She slammed the door and was on her way towards becoming a true ninja. Naruto was proud to be watching his youngest child growing up so quickly.

OoOoOoOo

Iruka had been going on for what felt like ages. Yuuki had sat next to Takeshi, and Noriko sat on the other side of him. Tension was high between them as usual. After a while of glaring, Iruka moved on to team assignments. “Team five will consist of Nagi, Kobi and Shito.” The three just looked at each other and shrugged.

“Hey dry eyes, don’t get upset when I’m on the team you’ve wanted for so long.”

Yuuki resumed her intimidating gaze at Noriko. “Please, the only one who is going to be let down is the one with the inflated ego.”

Noriko smirked. “Then it’s as I said. Redundancy isn’t a suitable tactic for your rebuttal.”

“Next is Team Seven: Takeshi…” Both Yuuki and Noriko silenced. “Yuuki…” She presented Noriko with a tongue out, clearly agitating the young girl. “And Noriko.” Yuuki clamped down on her tongue. She was more pissed off at her father than anything. A look from Iruka told her to wait until he was finished assigning teams. Her rage began to bottle up. “Team Eight will be Inora, Chojiko, and Shikamira.”

Takeshi turned to Yuuki. “Try to keep your cool. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Dry eyes, you were right; now I have to make sure you don’t get us killed. This is pretty upsetting.” Yuuki felt a quaking rage ringing through her head. Iruka had finished and Yuuki wasted no time in throwing in her two cents.

“Iruka-sensei, why is this _thing_ on my team. It could have been anyone, and I mean anyone else!”

Iruka couldn’t help but feel nostalgia. With all of the experience he’d had with these kind of students, he went with the beating around the bush maneuver. “Why are you referring to Takeshi as a thing? That’s a terrible way to treat your comrade.” The class began to laugh at her as she facepalmed. Everyone was quite aware of the rivalry between Noriko and Yuuki.

“You know I was talking about her.” Yuuki jabbed into a point at the source of her anger. “Give me an explanation!” Yuuki continued to point at Noriko and waited for the reasoning. Takeshi just sank a bit lower in his seat.

Iruka sighed. “I think it’s up to your sensei to give you a formal explanation, but I can’t say that your team makes sense.” Yuuki was blatantly not impressed with his explanation. “Complaining isn’t going to change these teams. To everyone else: You know where you need to go, so you may go anytime. Dismissed.” Iruka made a swift exit, along with the remainder of the room. Yuuki fell back in her seat in defeat.

“Where are we supposed to go to meet our sensei?”  She decided to give her sensei an earful instead.

“Right here! We don’t even need to move.” Takeshi attempted to brighten the atmosphere, but it was mostly in vein. Both girls sat eyes closed and arms crossed.

After an uncomfortable thirty minutes passed, Takeshi’s eyes swept between the two. He sighed, not knowing if he could say anything right. “How long are you two planning on not talking? Can’t you just accept it and move on?” He was answered with a double teaming glare that made him sit back and keep quite.

“As long as ‘dry eyes’ doesn’t get in my way, we should be able to make it. I’m more than good enough to pick up her slack.” The fury began raging around Takeshi.

Yuuki slammed the desk and snapped up. “What the hell is your problem? You don’t know anything about me or Takeshi for that matter. We’ve surpassed you and your petty thinking. The reason you piss me off is your lack of any likable qualities. You always stoop lower and lower just to try to emphasize a false superiority. That’s why you don’t have friends. Grow up already, ignorant b-…” Takeshi grabbed Yuuki’s arm to prevent a disaster. For even the slightest of moments, Noriko held a face of shock and a hint of a tear. Yuuki ripped her arm loose and turned away.

“You want to put your money where your mouth is…” Yuuki’s interest was piqued. “After we finish with sensei, we’ll have a match. I’ll make you eat those words.” Noriko wasn’t playing around. She stood up and locked eyes. Takeshi was prepared to step between them.

“My money’s on Noriko.” The foreign voice caught everyone off guard. They looked for the source, but struggled to pin-point it. Finally they glanced up to find Konohamaru sitting cross-legged on the celling. “Yo!”

They couldn’t help but kick back a few seats in shock. Yuuki was the first to challenge him. “Uncle Konohamaru, what the hell are you doing here?” He flipped down and landed in front of her.

“That’s Konohamaru-sensei to you!” Her jaw dropped yet again. “Good afternoon, team 7! I’m your supervising jonin. Before I answer any questions, meet me on the roof in five minutes sharp.” With that, he was gone in a flash.

Noriko turned to Yuuki. “What the hell is that? Your uncle is our sensei? And why do we have to go outside when he was damn near an hour late?” Yuuki displayed her irked side further, more about her uncle than Noriko this time.

“Hell if I know! I’m just as annoyed as you. As to why we’re meeting outside, I have a few hunches.” Yuuki noticed Takeshi was impartial on the situation. “You don’t seem bothered by this. What do you think?”

Takeshi put his hands in his pockets. “Well, he’s a powerful ninja. He does have his flaws, but that shouldn’t matter right now. We only have a couple minutes to get to the roof. I suggest we ask questions later.” The girls shrugged in agreement for once and they made their way upstairs.

OoOoOoOo

“What’s this? You’re four seconds late! Not a good first impression at all.” He inhaled the rest of his cigarette and flicked it away. “Regardless, I would like formal introductions from all of you. Just likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future. I don’t give two shits about your hobbies, so don’t bother.” Smoke had poured out into their faces, irritating tears out of their eyes. He held a confused look. “Crying already? You won’t last day acting so soft.

Takeshi was the first to speak out after waving the smoke clear. “With all due respect sensei, shouldn’t you go first?”

“Ah, of course.” He cleared his throat. “I am Sarutobi Konohamaru. I like smoking, dislike formalities, and I’ve already achieved my dreams. Expanding more on the formalities part, all I ask is you respect each other and at least be formal this one time. Easy enough, right?” He shifted his eyes to Yuuki. “You first, young lady.”

She gave him a glare, but complied. “I’m Uzumaki Yuuki. I like ramen the most, I dislike arrogant people with no emotions, and my current dream is to become stronger than my brother. I don’t want his ego to swell too high.” Konohamaru was at least happy to see she wasn’t fawning over any boys yet. He already saw her drive.

“Alright, good enough. You’re next, chivalry boy.” He pointed to Takeshi, whose face showed a hint of annoyance.

“My name is Uchiha Takeshi. I like…” He hesitated a little. “Helping others, I dislike the thought of being useless, and I have something sort of an ambition rather than a dream: to become strong enough to protect the ones I care for, no matter what.” His eyes were locked with his sensei. Konohamaru smiled a little. _It seems the Uchiha really have taken a turn for the better. Do I sense a bit of lust from him?_ He looked over Takeshi and Yuuki. _So these two really managed to survive assassination. Must be tough for them to remain unscarred._

“Alright, cool. Moving on to the next young lady…” He signaled for Noriko to go.

She wore the same unenthusiastic face as usual. “Just call me Noriko. I prefer being efficient, dislike loud mouths, and dream of being the greatest combat medic ever known.” Konohamaru went to comment, but she cut him off. “Don’t ask, I only have the one name. Even if I did have two, you would be none the wiser.”

“Well, you’re a boring one.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “At least you have a good goal to work towards. Not many kids know what type of ninja they want to be at your age.” She made no hint of emotion, making Konohamaru feel awkward. “Anyways, who can tell me the significance of this team?”

“It makes no sense.” Yuuki was quick to get a blank stare from her sensei.

“I agree with that.” Noriko spoke out. “Why are the three strongest genin on the same team? Shouldn’t there be a power curve?”

Konohamaru scratched his head. “Well, that’s not necessarily true…Takeshi, what do you think?”

Takeshi crossed his arms. “From what I gather, many teams were set up to mimic previous teams. If I remember correctly, Team Seven’s strongest team consisted of my parents, the current Hokage, and Noriko’s father. That would make our team more of an experiment than anything.”

“Very perceptive. In fact, the Team Seven you believe to be the strongest started out with the power balance Noriko mentioned. They put a dead last graduate in a team with the smartest and top graduate. It wasn’t the strongest team on paper, but as time went on, the dead last ninja proved that paper doesn’t show a ninja’s potential. Even with the addition of a new member and a string of conflicted ideals, the team persevered against trifling odds. That same dead last is now the most renowned member of our village. The Sixth Hokage.” He diverted his eyes to his trainees. Yuuki was looking off into the distance, completely ignoring him. Konohamaru was a little upset with how none of them really seemed to genuinely care. “Bottom line: You aren’t even true genin yet, so don’t just assume you’ll always be tough shit because your graduation rank.”

What he said seemed to grab their attention. Yuuki decided to snap back to reality. “Hey, Uncle-sensei.” He gave her a stern look, causing a roll of her eyes. “Sensei…what kind of trial are we gonna do? I already discerned that it’s not happening today.”

He felt like a little of his leverage was being lost. “It appears your father is as dense as ever. You will be doing an advanced survival evaluation. It will take place at sunrise.” They listened intently. _Got ‘em!_ “Oh, and skip breakfast. Unless you want to taste it a second time!”

“Well, bananas taste the same coming back up.” Everyone looked at Yuuki with a static face. She didn’t see anything wrong with her logic. “What? If the concern was bad taste in your mouth, it’s really a giid solution.”

“That’s not the…” Konohamaru rubbed his eyes. “Just be on time tomorrow. I’d hate to send you back to the academy because you couldn’t wake yourselves up.” He was gone in a flash. Within an instant, the two rivals locked eyes. Takeshi could see the fire behind either one.

“Don’t even think about it. Both of you.” He knew conflict would be unavoidable if things remained this way. “We’re all headed back together.” This grabbed the girls’ combine glare to him. “Get over it. We’re a team.”

OoOoOoOo

As they prepared to leave, nature made its call to Takeshi. The afternoon sun was eclipsed by the clouds, and what remained of a cool breeze vanished into nothingness. The area became desolate. Yuuki and Noriko deadlocked in a menacing stare. “You already know how this ends. I’ll give you only one chance to back down. I’m not in the mood for holding back today.”

Yuuki just prepared her hand seal. “Even if you used to hold back half of your strength, you would need quadruple that amount to challenge me. You aren’t invincible. In fact, you’re not even intimidating. This is my only offer: Quit while you’re ahead. I won’t even need to move.” The words didn’t trouble Noriko as much as the calm tone did. It was as if Yuuki knew she’d won already. “Fine by me. Kage bunshin no jutsu!” This was a first for Noriko. Instead of her rival blindly charging in for a punch, she performed a clone jutsu. There were a total of ten on top of that.

“Not bad, dry eyes. But do you really think illusions are going to scare me?” Before Noriko could gloat, one of the clones charged her back. As if by instinct, Noriko instantly recognized they weren’t mere clones. She flipped over the attacker and jabbed a kunai down through its spine. _What the hell? That had resistance to my attack. These bodies are real?_ “So you’ve learned a trick. Blindly charging in still leaves you wide open.” Her words reached Yuuki, but her stance just turned into a cross-armed intimidation stare. Her clones had formed a circle around Noriko. “If you insist on being made a fool of…” Seven clones staggered in to attack her escape route. Noriko was successful in dodging the first series of combinations, but soon the attacks became organized chaos. It wasn’t long before she took a powerful kick to the face. Noriko was sent down by the impact.

“What’s wrong, Noriko? I haven’t even moved an inch.” A new fire raged within her rival as she stood back up.

“You have numbers, I’ll give you that. But I’m stronger on my own. I’ve always been alone!” This time a group of six attacked. However, Noriko’s killer intent unsheathed along with a small blade. Acting like a completely different person, she flipped onto a clone and snapped its neck. She quickly dismounted and rolled around the next punch, impaling under the shoulder into the heart. The remaining clones pushed in to attack at once. “Useless.” Noriko spun carefully, slinging two senbon needles into the forward and backward charging clones while drawing a second blade longer than the first. Thrusting her arms out on either side, she caught their throats in a fatal strike. The clones burst into a cloud of smoke. She now pulled her body into a sword stance. In her left hand she gripped the smaller blade reversed and down. Her body bent back and dipped slightly as her right hand held the longer sword properly and across her back. “We were born into separate lives. In my very blood, the genes of a true ninja flow. Give up!” She had spoken in a dead serious voice. She had just thwarted the majority of Yuuki’s offense. But standing in front of her was true conviction. Yuuki had changed. _What’s this feeling? She still believes she can win?_

Suddenly, Yuuki smiled. Her clones held a similar pleasure in their face. “Warmed up? Let’s begin then. Byakugan!” Noriko’s eyes shrunk. Yuuki had never been able to use her eyes before. What was worse was the three remaining clones followed suit. “I don’t believe for a second that you’re an ‘assassin’.  Have you figured out why I’m not cowering in fear?” The four Yuuki’s performed a kawarimi jutsu, quadrupling the confusion. “Because I’ve been almost killed by two, real enemy assassins!”  Noriko felt a very intense sweat start running down her neck. She knew her sensing skill wasn’t good enough to track down the real clones. She sheathed her swords. The Yuuki’s held their ground. “Have you admitted defeat for once?”

Noriko sharply snapped her neck up. “You think you scare me?” She felt her senbon needles and closed her eyes. This wasn’t how she wanted to resolve the fight. “I can knock you out in one motion!” Her hand flashed and two senbon nailed the stationary Yuuki. “Just because you can make clones to confuse you’re enemy, doesn’t mean you get to just stand in place. This is my victory.” Slowly, the clones began dispersing. Finally, Yuuki collapsed face first into the ground. Noriko’s eyes widened. “Shit, I was warned not to go too far!” She ran to Yuuki and rolled her over. “What if I missed the safe zones?” As she checked for a pulse, she felt a kunai press against her neck. Her body froze in disbelief.  “What? Impossible!”

“I knew you hated me, but if you doubted yourself even a little, how could you make that throw? You really could have killed me, Noriko.” The collapsed clone dispersed. Noriko’s eyes were widened; a subtle trace of moisture collected in them.

“I never miss. It’s just…” An authentic tear trickled down her face. “This one time, what if I’d let my emotions affect my aim? What if I committed murder on the only person who had ever acknowledged me?”

Yuuki took her kunai away from Noriko and sighed. “We’ve taken rivalry too far. I was going to catch up to you one day.” Noriko’s head sunk in shame. Yuuki turned away. “Listen up; I’ll only admit it once: You are far stronger and more skillful than I at being a ninja. I only won through the art of deception. If you can’t stand losing that badly, I’ll give you a rematch any day. My ninja record against you is 1-0.” Yuuki began stretching her neck. “Next time, don’t try to brutally slaughter everything that looks like me. Like it or not, we’re team mates now.”

Noriko wouldn’t show a soul, but she gave a genuine smile as she wiped her eyes. “Going for a fresh start on the record book are we?” She stood and turned to her rival. “I suppose it’s appropriate in this case. For once, I’m looking forward to fighting you again, Yuuki.” Hearing her name come from her rival’s mouth stopped Yuuki in her tracks. Noriko hadn’t acknowledged Yuuki’s name in years.

Takeshi ventured outside to find Yuuki and Noriko staring at each other suspiciously. “Sorry, you two didn’t try to kill each other while I was preoccupied, did you?”

“Dumbass, how long does it take you to take a crap?” Yuuki demanded the inappropriate truth. “You fell in didn’t you?”

Takeshi reddened a little. “N-No, it’s not like I was…I took a wrong turn and…”

The usually quiet Noriko chimed in. She decided to at least start involving herself in the conversations. “This is quite disturbing, Takeshi. It’s not advisable to do the other thing in public.”

Takeshi’s face reddened to a near burgundy color. “Why the hell would I do that? I don’t even know what this ‘other thing’ your accusing me of would be.” He finally noticed the lack of hatred and rage between the two. “Wait, you two seem to be feeling better.”

Noriko turned and began walking away. Yuuki smiled and started pushing Takeshi forward. “Well, we talked out most our differences while you were gone. We had a little argument, but I managed to prove my point and win.”

“Really? That’s great news!” Takeshi blinked a few times before narrowing his eyes. “What do you mean you won? Since when have you two ever settled an argument without fight-“

“Shh, you’re not as cute when you’re digging into other people’s business.” He blushed. “The problem has temporarily resolved itself, that’s good enough.” He stopped struggling for a moment. A subtle scent of lavender relaxed him and he wanted the feeling to linger. She finally took her hand off him and let him be. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

He realized that he could be making the situation awkward between them, so he put on an annoyed face and walked faster. “I can take a hint without you muffling me.” He didn’t dare turn back.

“Takeshi!” As he kept walking, she realized he probably felt insulted by her carelessness. She just wanted to feel his lips a little longer. She slapped her forehead.

“Clueless…” Noriko had been observing everything and piped in that one-liner quietly.

“What’d you say?” Yuuki and Takeshi harmonized with each other.

“Nothing. I need to split off here. I’ll be at the training field early.” Noriko casually separated.

“Alright overachiever. Hey, you might as well go on a diet since we’re skipping breakfast.” Yuuki decided she had to say something. “It’ll help with some of those tremors we’ve had lately.”

“I’ll try to keep that in mind. At least attempt to control your banana fetish. You’ll be mistaken for the missing link.” Takeshi sighed, but this time, no further remark was made. They just continued on their separate ways. Although it gave him worries, that’s when he first had a sliver of hope for the future of this unlikely team.

OoOoOoOo

“Alright, I’m going to kill him!” The morning sun had risen long ago and there was no sign of their sensei.

“Is your uncle always this unreliable?” Noriko had been there for three hours already.

“Maybe this is part of his test.” Takeshi jumped to his feet. “We could take some time to figure out some tactics and what not.”

Yuuki displayed a less than enthusiastic face when her mood lifted. “Hey, maybe we should. And the first step is teaching him not to be late.” Takeshi and Noriko looked to each other and shrugged. It was justice after all. “Alright, let me get a good look at everyone.”

OoOoOoOo

Konohamaru finally approached his team an hour later. He became suspicious of their good behavior. “Sorry I was late. I had to help my wife with a few things and I ran out of cigarettes, so I had to-“

Yuuki cut him off and called him out. “Aunt Hanabi doesn’t need your help that much, liar! Did you forget about the very test you assigned us?”

Konohamaru sighed before continuing on. “Right, we can argue all day, but let’s just cut to the chase. This test isn’t as original as it used to be, however it’s by far the toughest.” The group’s attention was aroused immediately. Konohamaru slowly reached into his pocket, drawing on their anticipation. The speed at which he pulled his hands out gave them a shock, and in his hands rested two bells. “We are doing a bell test.”

“What the hell is a ‘bell test’? Can’t we just do normal things, and how is this advanced survival evaluation?” Yuuki seemed to be voicing the opinions of the group’s thought.

“Well, you don’t have to criticize it so harshly based on appearance.” He fastened the bells on the left side of his waist. “Your test is to get one of these bells. If you don’t have a bell by the end of the day, you fail.”

The group remained silent. “Sensei, there are only two bells. Someone is going to fail, so what’s the consequence?” Noriko was the first to pose the question.

“Oh, that?” Konohamaru let out a brief laugh before grinning. “If you fail, you will get set back to the first day of the academy. If you fail badly enough, I will see to it personally you are banned from becoming ninja.” The collective group was shocked by his revelation. A cold sweat broke out among them. They had all become too anxious to formulate a response. Konohamaru looked over them before lighting up a cigarette. “Well, if you don’t come at me with intent to kill, you’ll never get the bells. At least try not to fail. You can count the teams that have passed this test with your fingers.” As he finished his sentence, a kunai zipped at his face. “Whoa!” He tilted his head back to avoid it, and it sliced the tip off his cigarette. Yuuki pulled down her eyelid and stuck her tongue out.

“That’s for being late, Uncle-Sensei!” The entire group vanished in a white smoke.

Konohamaru grunted as he picked his lighter back out of his pocket. “Yeah, it is kind of hard to get used to her calling me sensei.” He inhaled a giant breath of smoke and filled the rest of his lungs with air. “I wonder if she has already figured shadow clones out then. It was actually a decent display of information gathering.” He exhaled the rest of his lungs. “So what’s your next move Yuuki? I’ll try my best to help you reach the right conclusion, but I can see from yesterday you’ll have conflicts with Noriko.” He continued his bad habit.

OoOoOoOo

“Why can’t we go out there now?” Noriko grew inpatient listening to Yuuki. If it weren’t for Takeshi’s vouching, she wouldn’t have agreed in the first place. Before Yuuki got an attitude, she seemed to get struck by a bolt of lightning.  
“Because we have the advantage in our test now!” _This is more complex than I thought…Should I tell them about the consequences?_ “Basically, he’s got two bells attached to his left hip and we have to get them. We will fail the test if we can’t retrieve them. I assume I don’t need to tell you that failing is bad.”

The two considered the information. Noriko looked back to Yuuki and narrowed her eyes. Takeshi prepared to get between them. “We’re going to need a good plan, so think quick before I do my own thing.” They shared an intense stare before Noriko smiled. “Well, hurry up already! Let’s see if your diversions can help us as much as they seem to help you.” Takeshi knew the atmosphere between them was different, but this was unexpected. How did Noriko already know about Yuuki’s diversion skills?

“Don’t underestimate me. I have a two-phase plan to get a feel of how he’s going to be testing us. We need to see how serious he is.”

Takeshi looked over to Noriko. “What kind of style do you fight in right now? We should get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.” Yuuki muffled his mouth with a little more force than last time.

“I said don’t underestimate me, didn’t I?” She let go as he narrowed his eyes. “Noriko is an excellent swordsman up close and a sharp-shooter with senbon needles. I have a general plan for getting the bells that involves her marksman skills, but for now.” Yuuki pulled out a kunai and began drawing up her first phase of the plan. “I’ll think of phase two later, but this should do for now.”

Noriko scanned over the plans as Yuuki summed up what the formations were. “How do you know he’s going to check these formations out first? What if he just lets us come to him, or slaughters the formation?” Yuuki smiled.

“I’ve known my uncle for a while now. He’s just like my father: curious to see if we used the best combination and how we intend to use each other’s strength. He will be quick to jump in when we split up.” She looked into her teams eyes and they nodded their heads in agreement. “Takeshi should have more time to set up. Our ultimate goal is to drive him into that clearing over there.” She pointed to an open area with a semi-circle of forest line and a small lake completing the perimeter. They nodded again, returning their gaze to their sensei. Suddenly, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke himself. “Enough talking, its game time. Kage bunshin no jutsu!”

OoOoOoOo

Konohamaru studied what he could deduce from a tree branch. “Splitting up? That’s exactly what I didn’t want you to do.” He flicked his cigarette out and went into motion towards Noriko. It didn’t take him long to reach her and he made his presence known. “Do you really think I’m that dense Yuuki?” The two rivals spun around to face him. Noriko already had her swords out and ready, and Yuuki had her Byakugan active.

“I saw you coming, sensei. We won’t go down as quickly as you think.” She inched closer to him ready to attack. However, he was too quick for her and landed a heavy kick to her chest.

“Don’t look down on me. I could tell just from your introductions that you aren’t actually here. It’s just typical rivals refusing to work together. You left a clone with Noriko and went with Takeshi. It was more convenient that way, wasn’t it?” The clone dispersed. Noriko didn’t give him a chance for a break. Konohamaru pulled out a kunai and blocked her swing.

“That works for me, sensei. I don’t need that dead weight sitting around.” She began thrashing out combinations at Konohamaru to no avail. It became clear that he was on a completely different level than she was. Noriko pushed off one of the parries and gained some distance.

Konohamaru sighed as he readied his hands. “You guys are disappointing me more and more the longer this goes. You are skilled physically, but there is always a weakness. In your case, it’s arrogance. Let’s see how tough your mind is…” Just before he could activate his genjutsu, a smoke bomb struck between the two. He was forced to cancel and retreat to avoid getting stuck by a kunai.

“So you had it all figured out, Uncle-Sensei?” Yuuki showed herself and stood next to the smoke. His eyes widened, genuinely shocked that Yuuki went with Noriko after all. “This situation isn’t ideal for even you, now is it?”

Konohamaru smiled. “Clever Yuuki. It’s good to see you taking advantage of your group’s weaknesses. Let’s see how sound your logic is then.” Konohamaru began retreating towards where Takeshi went. The two relaxed as Yuuki made a hand seal.

“Release!” She shifted her eyes to Noriko and pointed.

“I’ll give you props; he did exactly what you wanted him to do.” They began running towards Takeshi’s position. “And you really gain any information your clones gather?” Yuuki grinned and nodded. _I’ve got to admit that’s pretty useful. Combine it with the byakugan…_ “Anyways, now he takes the shortest flanking route, landing him closer to the open area. And you’re hoping Takeshi does his job and we force him to stay in the open?”

Yuuki ran quicker and looked forward. “It will work. Trust me.”

OoOoOoOo

“Kage bunshin no jutsu!” Two more clones spawned next to Takeshi.

“That means Yuuki’s plan is working, doesn’t it? I see the other clone was dismissed.” He halted, in an ideal, less clustered area.

“Yup, but this is where it gets tricky. It won’t take much for him to knock these clones down. You know what you need to do, and by that time they should arrive for backup.” He nodded and activated his sharingan. A clone pointed by motioning with her head.

“Aren’t you going to attack, Sensei?” Takeshi drew a kunai along with several shurikens. Konohamaru descended on them and stood tall. “I won’t wait for you to get comfortable!” He chucked the shurikens at his sensei, making him dodge to the left. Takeshi chucked the kunai as hard as he could to Konohamaru’s left side now, making his sensei halt. Takeshi moved much faster than the other two and he came swinging. Since Konohamaru was off balance, he began parrying Takeshi’s fast attacks. They held a good amount of power behind them. Noticing the lack of teamwork, Konohamaru landed a heavy punch to his face. Takeshi was blasted back at a violent speed. The Yuuki cones looked wide eyed as he struggled to get up. They shot looks at their sensei; He wasn’t pulling his punches at all.

“I figured your teamwork would have been better than this. You were more in synch with Noriko, Yuuki.” This prompted the group to attack. They bunched in her typical formation, more aggressive than normal. The leg sweeps and flurry of gentle fist attacks were incredibly fluent. At the level he was fighting at, it would have been impossible to avoid. Catching on to her combo, he allowed a leg sweep to hit. It wasn’t powerful enough to knock him down, and he took the opening to parry and destroy the other two. What appeared to be a final stand by the last one was thwarted by an elbow drop to the head. “Why don’t you two get it?” The smoke from the clone began to clear, revealing a massive fireball in front of Konohamaru. “Hey, hey, hey!” As he leapt to the side, he let the fire singe his cigarette. “I appreciate it, but I have a lighter.” Takeshi couldn’t help but smile at their sensei. It seemed like he was having fun with it when they worked together.

“Well, Yuuki’s final piece of the plan falls into place here anyways. You’ve lost; we wanted you in this clustered environment.” Konohamaru nodded as he exhaled smoke. He noticed both Yuuki and Noriko were hiding in the area already.

“So everything goes according to her plan then?” He looked to where she was hiding. “Well tell her that things don’t always go so smoothly in the ninja world. You guys have to come to me, remember.” He retreated to the exact area Yuuki wanted him to go. He casually began smoking in the clearing.

That prompted them to jump out and checked in on Takeshi. “Are you hurt? I saw what happened. I didn’t plan on him knocking your face off.”

He rubbed his face a little. “I’d be lying if I said it tickled, but I’ve gone through worse.” He smiled. “Did you like that line I gave him?”

She laughed. “I’m surprised he didn’t see straight through it, but it did its job perfect. We need to formulate phase two quickly, and I already see our victory.” Her stomach reminded her of the missed meal. Everyone else seemed to be having the same issue. “Let’s finish this quickly. Listen carefully.”

OoOoOoOo

 _I don’t think I’m being too soft on them, am I? I’ve gone along with this plan good enough, but if I don’t see them all work together here…_ He flicked his cigarette away. Yuuki and Takeshi showed themselves in the clearing, not even twenty feet from him. “So this is how you’re plan has adapted? Neglecting a member to press the attack?” Yuuki gave a sinister grin.

“It’s our victory, for four distinct reasons.” He raised an eyebrow. She slammed a smoke bomb down at her feet, masking the duo. Noriko came around their right and kept her running pace and distance from him. As he looked forward, he made hand seals to counter the fireball jutsu with a stronger one. To his surprise, emerging from the haze was Takeshi with Yuuki following behind. As he pulled away from his jutsu, three kunai rained down on him, hindering an immediate counter. Three feet before Takeshi was to him, he made an aggressively far and high leap.

Konohamaru was not distracted and focused on the advancing Yuuki. “Four reasons, it seems they’ve failed. Who will stop me from attacking you?” Suddenly, she pulled her arm back and thrust it forward from a couple meters. His eyes widened as she smiled.

“Reason one: Empty palm thrust!” He crossed his arms as he was blown backwards. The sun beaded into his eyes, barely seeing Takeshi dropping his heel to his face.

Takeshi added to her declaration. “Reason two: Pulverizing heel drop!” Konohamaru caught it with his right hand. He pulled a kunai and twisted to his left, noticing the incoming kunai from Noriko.

“Wait!” As he parried the kunai, she dispersed in a smoke. The bells dangled towards the ground at that instant. Before he could do anything, the bell strings were cut loose by two senbon needles.

Noriko began running towards the bells. “Reason three: Marksmanship!” As the bells touched the ground, Yuuki’s last smoke bomb met them. Takeshi struggled free and flipped into the cover of smoke. Konohamaru caught himself and waited for the smoke to clear. All three of his pupils seem to be scattering for the bells. Finally, Yuuki was revealed to have both bells.

“Impressive, but now who fails is on you. Who’s it going to be, Yuuki?” Takeshi and Noriko both showed their confusion. Konohamaru smiled. “So you didn’t pass on the word?”

Yuuki looked at the bells and sighed. She forced them onto her comrades, and left herself empty-handed.  “Reason four: Sacrifice. I accept my failure to allow my team to move on!” Konohamaru’s eyes grew wider than her teammates.

“What are you talking about Yuuki? We have the bells. We passed, didn’t we?” Takeshi put his arm on her shoulder, hoping she had forgotten the objective.

“It wasn’t as simple as just retrieving the bells, was it? Whoever didn’t get a bell would fail as well.” Noriko glared at her sensei. “She may have withheld information, but you were intentionally trying to pit us against each other, weren’t you?” Konohamaru seemingly ignored their remarks.

“You know what this means, right Yuuki?” She sank her head in a somber nod. “For withholding vital information from the team, I should deem you unfit for being a ninja. You can forget about getting off easy and returning to the academy.”

Takeshi stepped forward. “What? That’s the punishment for failing? That’s bullshit and you know it!” His fist clenched the bell tightly. “This is what makes us ninja material?” He pelted his sensei with the bell. “I don’t give a damn about your tradition. Banning people from their dreams is like pulling the wings off a hatching butterfly!”

A second bell hit Konohamaru, his face still stern. “In this situation, I agree. She withheld that information, and we were none the wiser. It helped us focus on working together to accomplish a goal. On top of that, she atoned for that by sacrificing her own future.” Noriko stood in front of Yuuki as well. “I don’t need to accept her pity, but what gives you the right to deny your own niece for her selfless acts?”

Konohamaru pulled out his lighter and struck it. He sucked in a lung full as he closed in on his students. Yuuki’s head was still sunk. “I said I should ban you from being a ninja. I never said I would.” The group’s eyes shot open. “Hell, I hate being the deceiver. The whole point of the bell test isn’t even getting the bells. It was to show you could come together as a team, despite the conditions.” They were shocked by the revelation, except for Yuuki. Yuuki began snickering and rubbing her nose. He looked upset at seeing her laugh. “Don’t act like you knew this!”

“I had it figured out when I saw two bells and you trying to act all bad. The entire time we fought, you kept criticizing our teamwork. It was clear that you would allow us to get the bells once we combined for an attack. Besides, who’s ever heard of a two-genin team?” Konohamaru frowned as she made sense. The team turned to her and showed embarrassment at the logic.

“You could have told us he was bluffing.” Takeshi wiped his forehead. “So we passed after all.”

“This is why I hate you, dry eyes.” Noriko refused to make eye contact with Yuuki. “When do we start our missions?”

Konohamaru took another breath of smoke. “I’ll get you guys on missions right away. And don’t be harsh on Yuuki’s humor in the situation: Of all the teams I’ve tested, you were the only one I actually enjoyed testing.” They accepted his response with some excitement. “I guess it makes sense, seeing as I had to fail my other teams. Why do young people always want to be the hero?”

“Can we go? You’re starting to get boring, Uncle-Sensei.” Yuuki’s comment and tone irked him.

“Stop calling me that!” He rubbed his forehead to calm himself. “Anyways, how about I treat you all to ramen? I guess you more than earned it.” They all felt their stomachs attack them from the inside.

“Hope you have a fat wallet, Uncle-Sensei. I’m starving!” He began sweating, knowing he was about to blow his paycheck. He couldn’t help but be impressed though. This young team had quite an interesting variety to it. As they left the training field that day, he couldn’t help but wonder how they would cope with the difficult future.

OoOoOoOo

The man had documented every moment of the fight from the shadows. His assignment required extensive knowledge of the team. He put his pen down and tucked away the scroll. With this, his mission for the day was complete. He practically melted away from the scene, undetected.

-Author’s note-

I just want to apologize how big this chapter was if it bothered you. I’ve slowly cranked up their length every chapter, but this one was a monster by comparison. Let me know if you prefer them this length as well.


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